2025 Canada Games Profile

Leading up to the Canada Games, Swim Ontario is highlighting some of the members of our fantastic team!

In a test of skill and endurance, Timothy Billington comes out on top in both.

At just 18 months of age, Billington had already been in the water and supervised with what some may call his initiation to swimming at the Tansley Woods Community Centre in Burlington.

Now, the 18-year-old is just days away from joining a strong Ontario contingent who will challenge for national pride at the traditional showcase of the country’s elite amateur athletes.

Billington, the benefactor of what has become several years of dedicated training that led to a prosperous and robust swim experience, earned a spot at the Canada Games, which is set for August 8 to 25 in St. John’s, Nfld.

For him, there is no test run. It will his first exposure to the grandstand and the spotlight of attention that comes with it.

Qualifying was no fluke. He had to meet the criteria and that’s just what happened. At the Canada Games Trials last March in Toronto, he caught the awareness and recognition of more than just his coach, but also the exuberant crowd at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. In five races with Special Olympics athletes, Billington had won silver medals in all of them.

As Canada’s largest provincial swim organization, Swim Ontario chose Billington as one of the elite 34 swimmers to represent the province. Tough choices – and especially with Ontario holding on to excellence and bragging rights at these Games.

Of note, is that Ontario’s contingent is made up of just 24 Olympic, six Paralympic and four Special Olympics athletes (Billington is in this grouping). As the largest amateur sports event in the country, the Canada Games is considered a showcase of able-bodied athletes and athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Billington, who has an intellectual disability, will compete as well as cheer on his teammates who will also be challenging for medals and personal best times at the Aquarena Fitness Centre, located on the campus of Memorial University.

As a student at M.M. Robinson High School, Billington has been more than just a popular guy. He’s a multi-sport athlete with a shrine of awards on display in his home and has won two Ontario high school swim medals – a gold in the 50-metres backstroke and a bronze in the 50-metres freestyle.

“I’m not just a swimmer, and that’s a sport I really like, but also represented Canada internationally in karate last year winning a gold medal in Portugal,” said Billington, who insists that competing in swimming does more than help him focus. It has helped him develop his physical body strength.

Swim Ontario notified Billington that his spot on the provincial team competing at the Canada Games was based on race times and his age. Asked about his chances of returning home with another addition to his collection of awards, Billington had a quick reply.

“I don’t like being the centre of attention but at something like (Canada Games), if I push hard, see what I can do, I believe you can achieve something,” he said. “It’s an honor to be on the Ontario team - and I plan on winning. If I lose, those who win will have deserved it, too.”

There’s more that keeps this young man active and involved in the community. Billington participated in the 2024 Special Olympics Provincial competition that was held in Waterloo. It’s where he won four swim medals – two gold and two silver.

When Billington is not training for competitions, he is donning a coaches shirt and peer mentoring fellow athletes in the sport of swimming. These athletes are individuals who want to improve their skills or compete at the next level.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.