Chim-Hing Stephanie Chan

Having competed in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia against athletes who are often much younger, Stephanie is one of the most decorated para table tennis athletes in Canadian history. She hopes her story will be an inspiration to athletes, especially those having to overcome challenges.

Richmond Roots Stephanie immigrated to Canada in 1997 and has resided in Richmond since. As a member of the Table Tennis Para National Team, she is highly involved in table tennis in the local community, often making special guest appearances at the Richmond Centre for Disability and the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Did You Know Stephanie started training at age 44 and quickly established herself as a champion para table tennis athlete.

Barriers Overcome Despite having contracted polio as a child and being misdiagnosed, Stephanie continues to excel in sports and strive to envision new possibilities. She continues to represent Canada in para table tennis.

Recognition To date, Stephanie has collected over 60 medals from various national and international table tennis competitions. She is the first Canadian with a top-10 world rank in the sport to compete at the Paralympics, a 4-time Parapan American games medalist, and winner of the Richmond Athlete with a Disability of the Year award in 2016.

Championship Stephanie has won medals in three consecutive Parapan American Games (2007, 2011, and 2015). She earned her ticket to the Rio 2016 Paralympics after capturing gold in women’s Class 7 singles at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games.

Contribution to Richmond Sport In addition to volunteering as a table tennis instructor at her church and the Richmond Centre for Disability, Stephanie coaches and encourages seniors and people with disabilities to stay active and have fun.