2026 Winter Paralympics Overview
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place from March 6 to March 15, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, featuring more than 650 athletes competing for 79 gold medals across six sports.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on March 6, 2026, at the Verona Arena, while the closing ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026, at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Competing athletes will participate in para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para snowboarding, para ice hockey, and wheelchair curling. Notably, this edition will feature wheelchair curling mixed doubles for the first time.
The event marks a significant milestone as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Paralympics, which were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. Historically, Austria has won the most medals in the Winter Paralympics with 345, while Norway leads in gold medals with 140.
Among the athletes to watch is Ragnhild Myklebust, who holds the record for the most Winter Paralympic medals with 27. The Games will also see the participation of five countries competing for the first time: El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Portugal.
IPC President Andrew Parsons emphasized the dual focus of the Games, stating, “We are a sport organization, these games are about sport. But not only sport. These games are about inclusion too.”
Giacomo Bertagnolli, an athlete from Italy, expressed excitement about the event, saying, “It will be a big stage for me and for the whole Paralympic world because we are finally in Italy and in Europe.”
The motto of the Paralympics, “Spirit in Motion,” encapsulates the determination and resilience of the athletes. Details remain unconfirmed regarding specific event schedules and additional participants.