From 6 to 15 March 2026, Italy will host the Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, an event that promises to be a symbol of inclusion, sporting excellence and spectacle.
Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The Opening Ceremony will take place on 6 March 2026 in the iconic Arena di Verona, while the Closing Ceremony will be held on 15 March at the Ice Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, providing moments of celebration and emotion for athletes and spectators from all over the world.
The Medals
The Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games will award a total of 79 gold medals, divided into:
- 39 for men
- 35 for women
- 5 for the mixed events
Up to 665 athletes will participate, ready to compete in the various disciplines to win a place on the podium and write new pages in the history of Paralympic sport.
The Paralympic Disciplines
During the ten days of competition, athletes will compete in six Paralympic disciplines at different locations:
- Paralympic ice hockey - Milan
- Paralympic downhill skiing - Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Paralympic snowboarding - Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Wheelchair curling - Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Paralympic cross-country skiing - Val di Fiemme, Tesero
- Paralympic Biathlon - Val di Fiemme, Tesero
The Paralympic Villages
To welcome the athletes and their teams, three Paralympic villages will be set up in the following locations
- Milan
- Cortina d'Ampezzo
- Predazzo
The must-see dates of the Paralympic Games
- On 7 March, the first day of Paralympic competitions, titles will be awarded in the three classes (Sitting, Standing and Visually Impaired) of the women's downhill in Alpine Skiing in Cortina and those of the 12.5 km Individual Biathlon in Tesero.
- On 14 March, as many as 14 gold medals will be awarded between Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding.
- On 15 March, the grand finale with the challenge for the Para Ice Hockey title at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, the women's slalom in Alpine Skiing in Cortina, and the 10 km Individual in Cross-Country Skiing classic in Tesero. The curtain will fall at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, venue of the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.
The Journey of the Paralympic Flame
Another iconic moment will be the journey of the Paralympic Flame, which will cross Italy covering 2000 km in 11 days, carried by 501 torchbearers. This symbolic event will represent a message of hope, determination and unity, anticipating the start of the competitions.
