The Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games are set to commence on March 6, 2026. The opening ceremony will take place at the historic Verona Arena, a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater. This event marks the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics.
Event Overview
These Games feature a total of 665 athletes competing for 79 sets of medals, both records for the Winter Paralympics. However, these figures remain significantly lower than the Olympics, which had approximately 2,900 athletes and 116 medal events.
Sports and Locations
- Cortina d’Ampezzo will host alpine skiing, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling.
- Tesero will serve as the venue for nordic skiing, which includes both cross-country and biathlon events.
- Para hockey events will take place at the renovated Santagiulia arena in Milan.
Unlike the Olympics, only six sports are featured in the Winter Paralympics, emphasizing a more compact structure. Notable exclusions include figure skating, speed skating, and freestyle skiing. The Games will run for nine days, as opposed to the Olympics’ 16.
Medal Events
The majority of the medal opportunities—68 out of 79—will occur in various skiing disciplines. Each discipline has categories for standing, sitting, and visually impaired athletes. Snowboarding will award an additional eight sets of medals based on classification by physical impairment.
Canada’s Paralympic Team
Canada is sending a team of 50 athletes, a size comparable to their squad for the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, where they won 25 medals. Key competitors include:
- Natalie Wilkie: A returning athlete with four medals from Beijing, including two golds.
- Mark Arendz: A decorated nordic skier with a total of 12 career medals.
- Ina Forrest: A wheelchair curler aiming for her fifth consecutive medal.
The youngest member of Canada’s team is 18-year-old alpine skier Florence Carrier, while the most seasoned is 39-year-old Para hockey player Greg Westlake. Westlake’s career highlights include a gold medal win at the 2006 Torino Games.
Controversy Surrounding Russia and Belarus
In a significant turn from previous policies, 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete under their national flags. This decision has led to backlash, with Ukraine and other nations, including Canada, opting to boycott the opening ceremony.
Viewing Information
El-Balad will provide live coverage of the Paralympic Games. The pre-show for the opening ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. ET on March 6, with the main ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. Live sports coverage kicks off the following day at noon ET.
For ongoing updates and coverage, visit El-Balad’s dedicated Paralympic Games section.
