The 2026 winter paralympics begin March 6 in Verona and across Milano Cortina, bringing more athletes, new national debuts and an expanded slate of medal events. Organisers expect this to be the 14th edition on the 50th anniversary of the first Games, with dozens of new athletes and nations set to compete across six sports. This edition promises new events, wide geographic venues and a strong broadcast focus on accessibility.
2026 Winter Paralympics: What to expect
This will be the 14th edition of the Winter Paralympics and marks the 50th anniversary of the first Games. The programme will feature 79 medal events across six sports: para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, para snowboard and wheelchair curling, with mixed doubles in wheelchair curling newly added since the previous Games. Entry counts vary in reporting: one account expects more than 600 athletes from 56 countries, while other coverage cites up to 665 athletes from around 50 nations and National Paralympic Committees. El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal will make their Winter Paralympic debuts.
Venues are spread across the Milano Cortina area. The opening ceremony is scheduled in Verona, with competitive action centred in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina will host para-alpine skiing, wheelchair curling and para-snowboard at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Nordic events—para-biathlon and para-cross-country skiing—are set for the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium near Predazzo. Para-ice hockey will play in Milan at the Santagiulia Stadium.
Events are split into detailed classification groups. Alpine skiing will include slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill and super combined, each divided into men’s and women’s categories and further by classification for visually impaired, standing and sitting competitors. Cross-country will feature sprint, distance and relay races. Para-snowboarding will run banked slalom and snowboard cross, with multiple classification races by gender and disability type. Wheelchair curling and para-ice hockey retain sport-specific classification rules.
Immediate reactions from leaders and stars
Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said the Games would deliver “world-class sport [that is] highly competitive. Sport that will surprise you. And most importantly, sport that will have a life-changing impact on everyone who witnesses it. ”
Giacomo Bertagnolli, Italy’s five-event alpine skier and an eight-time Paralympic medallist, said: “It will be a big stage for me and for the whole Paralympic world because we are finally in Italy and in Europe. I hope there will be a large turnout, something the Paralympics are still missing. ”
The field of names likely to draw headlines includes multi-medallists Oksana Masters and Brenna Huckaby, highlighted as athletes expected to generate major attention in competition.
Rak Patel, chief commercial officer at Channel 4, framed broadcast plans as part of wider accessibility commitments and described new technical and editorial measures aimed at increasing inclusion for audiences.
Broadcast, accessibility and what comes next
Broadcasters are staging significant coverage. Channel 4 will deliver more than 60 hours of live programming produced by Whisper, with a Cortina studio hosted in a mountain-top restaurant 1, 778 metres high in the Dolomites and remote galleries and back-of-house operations based in Cardiff at the Cymru Broadcast Centre. The production team will include at least 25% who identify as disabled and a higher proportion of disabled talent in senior off-screen roles than in past broadcasts.
Accessibility measures are robust: subtitling for all content, live audio description available from 10: 30 a. m. ET each day, daily highlights with live British Sign Language translation, and Opening and Closing Ceremonies simulcast with BSL and open descriptive commentary. Ceremony ad breaks will feature 100% closed caption subtitling.
Channel 4’s live coverage begins at 6: 30 p. m. ET, with studio presentation named for the opening ceremony coverage.
What’s next: expect intense competition across the six sports, live accessibility experiments in broadcast and crowd turnout tests at Italian venues; as the 2026 winter paralympics unfold from March 6 to March 15, attention will focus on medal battles, debut nations’ performances and whether expanded coverage shifts public engagement with Paralympic sport.
