️ The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games are underway in northern Italy, hosted across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo, and Val di Fiemme from March 6 to 15. The event features approximately 665 athletes from 56 nations competing 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 categories based on athletes' type and level of impairment, ensuring inclusive competition.
️ This marks the 14th edition of the Winter Paralympics, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their inception in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The Games return to Italy for the second time, two decades after Turin hosted in 2006. Italy's capital, Rome, was the site of the inaugural Summer Paralympics in 1960, highlighting the country's longstanding role in the Paralympic movement.
️ A new medal event – wheelchair curling mixed doubles – debuts at these Games, introducing a variant similar to the mixed doubles curling added to the Olympic program in Pyeongchang 2018. The World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship has been held since 2022, with Scotland as the current world champions. Five nations – El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Portugal – are making their Winter Paralympic debut, expanding global participation.
️ In a controversial move, Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete under their national flags and anthems, following the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision last September to lift the ban imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This contrasts with the International Olympic Committee's approach at last month's Winter Games, where athletes from these countries competed under a neutral flag. Russia has been allocated six wildcard spots in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding, while Belarus received four in cross-country skiing.
️ The IPC's decision has sparked diplomatic friction, with several national Paralympic committees boycotting the opening ceremony in Verona Arena. Ukraine led the boycott, joined by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Poland. Germany's Paralympic committee announced its athletes would abstain from the ceremony but participate in pre-recorded segments broadcast during the event. According to an IPC source cited by DPA news agency, national flags will be carried by volunteers instead of athletes at the ceremony due to logistical reasons, underscoring the event's political complexities.
️ American athlete Oksana Masters emerges as a standout figure, competing in Para-biathlon and Para-cross-country skiing at her fourth Winter Paralympics. The 36-year-old boasts 14 medals, including five golds, from previous Games, plus four golds in Para-cycling from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Her compelling background – born in Ukraine and adopted by an American as a child – adds a human dimension to the competition. Another star to watch is Norway's Jesper Pedersen, the only athlete to win four gold medals in Beijing 2022.
️ Para-ice hockey is anticipated to be a highlight, featuring mixed teams in a single bracket unlike the gender-separated Olympic tournaments. The United States, aiming for a fifth consecutive gold medal, faces heightened rivalry with Canada, set against a backdrop of escalating political tensions between the two nations. This dynamic raises questions about whether Canada can secure revenge in a sport where American dominance has been pronounced.
Source: www.dw.com