Key facts on the Paralympics
The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games run for 10 days from March 6–15 across three main northern Italy locations: Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val di Fiemme. About 665 athletes from 56 nations are expected to compete in 79 medal events across six sports: Para-alpine skiing, Para-biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para-ice hockey, Para-snowboard and wheelchair curling. Each sport includes multiple classification categories based on type and level of impairment.
This is the 14th Paralympic Winter Games and marks 50 years since the first Winter Paralympics in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden (1976). The Games return to Italy for the second time, 20 years after Torino 2006. Rome hosted the first Paralympic Summer Games in 1960.
What’s new at the 2026 Paralympics?
A new medal event — wheelchair curling mixed doubles — debuts at these Games. It mirrors the mixed doubles curling added to the Olympic program in 2018. There has been a World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship since 2022; the current world champions are Scotland.
Five countries are making Winter Paralympics debuts: El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal.
What is the state of play with Russia and Belarus?
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted in September to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their own flags and with national anthems.
The IOC had allowed a limited number of Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag at the recent Winter Olympics. For Milan–Cortina 2026, Russia has been granted six wildcard places across alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding (split evenly between men and women); Belarus received four spots, all in cross-country skiing.
What’s been the reaction?
Several national Paralympic Committees have announced boycotts of the opening ceremony in Verona in protest at the IPC decision. Ukraine was first to announce a boycott, followed by Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Poland. Some countries said they would simply not send officials to the ceremony. Germany said its athletes would not attend but would participate in pre-recorded elements to be broadcast during the ceremony. An IPC source said national flags would be carried by volunteers rather than athletes for logistical reasons.
Who and what to watch at Milano Cortina
Oksana Masters is the biggest star to follow. The 36-year-old American will compete in Para-biathlon and Para-cross-country skiing in her fourth Winter Paralympics; she already has 14 Winter Paralympic medals, including five golds, and also won four Para-cycling golds across Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Masters, who was born in Ukraine and adopted by an American family, will compete alongside her fiancé Aaron Pike.
Para-alpine skier Jesper Pedersen of Norway is another standout; he was the only athlete to win four gold medals at Beijing 2022.
Para-ice hockey is among the most-watched events. Unlike Olympic hockey, Paralympic teams compete in a single mixed-gender bracket. The USA and Canada are top seeds, with the Americans bidding for a fifth consecutive gold while Canada seeks to reclaim top spot.
What has been the impact of the US–Israel war with Iran?
So far the wider conflict appears mainly to have affected travel logistics for some athletes, particularly those flying from or via the Middle East. The United States is sending 72 athletes. Iran and Israel each have one qualified athlete: Abolfazi Khatibi (23), a Para-cross-country skier for Iran, and Sheina Vaspi (24), a Para-alpine skier for Israel.
The IOC urged UN member states to support athletes affected by recent conflicts in their journey to the Games, referencing the non-binding Olympic Truce Resolution passed by the UN General Assembly before each Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Edited by: Matt Pearson
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