Although the 2026 Winter Olympics officially came to an end after a stunning closing ceremony, the action in Italy hasn’t ended with the Winter Paralympics in near sights. Elite athletes will take to the snow to compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics.
After nearly two weeks of an action-packed schedule of the Winter Olympics, the athletes return to the Italian Alps for another eleven days. While the opening ceremony will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026, a few events will kick off on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The 2026 edition will mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics debut.
Opening ceremony, venue, dates, sports, athletes, and how to watch the Winter Paralympics after an eventful Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics
Dates:
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will officially kick off on March 6, 2026, in Milan and Cortina and will conclude with a closing ceremony on March 15, 2026. The Wheelchair curling round-robin will begin on March 4, 2026.
Venue:
The opening ceremony will be held in the Verona Olympic Arena, which is a Roman amphitheater, built in 30 AD, with a seating capacity of than 12,000 spectators. The events will be held across multiple venues. The list of venues, is given below:
- Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium
- Cortina Para Snowboard Park
- Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
- Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium
- Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (Cortina)
While the Cortina D’Ampezzo will host the para alpine skiing, para snowboard, wheelchair curling, and the closing ceremony, the Tesero stadium and Verona Arena will host the para nordic skiing and opening ceremony, respectively.
Sports at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics
Six sports will be held at the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games:
- Para Alpine skiing
- Para biathlon
- Para cross-country skiing
- Para snowboarding
- Sled hockey
- Wheelchair curling
Athletes to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games:
More than 650 athletes will compete across 79 categories in six sports at the 2026 edition. The two-time Paralympic medalist Andrew Kurka will represent the American squad in alpine skiing. He will be joined by Seven-time Paralympian Oksana Masters in para biathlon and para cross-country skiing.
With 14 Paralympic medals, she is the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian of all time. At the Beijing Games, Masters became the first American to win seven medals at a single edition. Another athletes to follow at the 2026 edition are Anna-Lena Forster; seven-time Paralympic medalist Laurie Stephens; five-time Winter Paralympic medalist Kendall Gretsch; and one of the U.S.’ most decorated para snowboarder Brenna Huckaby.
How to watch the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games:
Fans can watch the action live on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, and CNBC. Peacock and USA Network will also air the opening ceremony on March 6, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET, following the pre-show coverage at 1:30 p.m ET.
Details about the 2030 Winter Olympics
Four years following the conclusion of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the action will return to the French Alps region of France in 2030. The upcoming Winter Olympics will be held from February 1 to 17, 2030. The Games will be held across multiple venues, including Nice, Briançon, Savoie, and Haute‑Savoie. Speed skating events will be held in either Turin in northern Italy or Heerenveen in the Netherlands.
Edited by Janhavi Shinde
