Proceeds from the competition will go towards supporting Canadian Para sport programmes and athletes from grassroots through to elite level.

Residents of Ontario and Alberta aged 18 and over are eligible to enter the gambling initiative, while those based in other provinces can stake a claim for a gift card prize from sponsor Canadian Tire or make a donation online.

Early bird draws are scheduled on Monday (March 7) and Thursday (March 10) for entrants from Ontario, offering CAD500 (£300/$390/€360) and CAD1,000 (£590/$790/€720) gift vouchers for Canadian Tire to the respective winners.

The main jackpot draws, which will be held separately in both provinces, are scheduled for the final day of the Winter Paralympics on March 13.

PFC director Dean Brokop believes the initiative offers a good opportunity for Canadians to support the country's Para athletes.

"We are excited to be running the Para 50/50 again during the Beijing Games and to be able to expand into Alberta to further support Para sport in Canada, and ensure sport is accessible to all individuals," Brokop said.

"We are grateful for Canadian Tire’s continuing support as the presenting partner of the 50/50 and are happy to be working with our charitable partners, CSI Calgary and Jumpstart."

A similar initiative was run by the Canadian Olympic Foundation during last month's Winter Olympics.

Canada ranked third at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Paralympics with eight gold medals, and took one on the first day of competition at Beijing 2022.