2026 Winter Paralympics

Last updated

XIV Paralympic Winter Games
2026 Winter Paralympics logo.png
Location Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
Athletes600+
Events79 in 6 sports
Opening 6 March 2026 (in 15 months)
Closing 15 March 2026
Stadium Verona Arena (opening ceremony)
Cortina Ice Olympic Stadium (closing ceremony)
Winter

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games (Italian : Milano Cortina 2026 Giochi paralimpici invernali), also known as the 2026 Winter Paralympics (Italian : Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2026) and Milano Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, scheduled to take place from 6 to 15 March, with the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo as hosts.

Contents

Organised by Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 and governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), this will be the third Paralympic Games hosted in Italy, following the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome (the inaugural Paralympic Games) and the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin.

Host selection

In October 2018, the Italian National Olympic Committee officially confirmed plans for a bid by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo to host the Games. [1] The bid was presented at the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees on 28 November 2018 in Tokyo. [2] The two cities were elected as hosts of both the 2026 Paralympics and Olympics on 24 June 2019 at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, defeating Sweden's joint bid of Stockholm and Åre. [3]

2026 Winter Olympics bidding results [4]
BidNationVotes
Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo Flag of Italy.svg Italy47
Stockholm–Åre Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden34
One abstention or blank vote [5]

Development and preparations

Handover ceremony

The handover occurred during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China, on 13 March. The Paralympic flag was passed from Beijing mayor Chen Jining to IPC president Andrew Parsons, and then to Anna Scavuzzo, vice-mayor of Milan, and Gianpietro Ghedina, mayor of Cortina d'Ampezzo. [6] [7] The flag was then flown back to Italy, where it arrived the following day. [8] The Paralympic flag is displayed in Milan's Palazzo Marino, where the Olympic flag is also displayed, until February 2026. [9]

Torch relay

The torch relay is scheduled to take place from 24 February to 6 March 2026, with 501 torchbearers covering 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi). The flame will be lit at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in United Kingdom, followed by flame festivals in five Italian cities; the relay will visit Cortina d'Ampezzo, Venice, and Padua, before ending at the Verona Arena for the opening ceremony. [10]

Volunteers

A total of 18,000 volunteers will be involved with both the 2026 Paralympic and Olympic Games. Applications for volunteering opened on 19 September 2024. [11] As of December 2024, almost 70,000 applications have been received. [12]

Ticketing

Tickets for the 2026 Paralympic Games start at €10 for children under 14, with more than 200,000 tickets priced at under €35, corresponding to around 89% of all available tickets. Registration for the ticketing platform opened on 4 October 2024; ticket sales will start in March 2025. [13]

Venues

Five competition venues will be used for the 2026 Paralympic Games, in addition to non-competitive venues including three Paralympic Villages. [14]

Milano Cluster

Val di Fiemme Cluster

Cortina Cluster

Verona

Sports

The Games are expected to feature 79 events in six Winter Paralympic sports. A mixed doubles event will make its debut in wheelchair curling. [15] A total of 665 athlete quota places are available: 323 for men, 176 for women, and 166 gender-free. [16]

Participating National Paralympic Committees

The following list follows one NPC, Italy as a host.

Calendar

The schedule for the 2026 Paralympics was released on 9 December 2024. Competition will begin on 4 March, two days before the opening ceremony, with the first two rounds of the wheelchair curling mixed doubles, and end on 15 March 2026. [17]

OCOpening ceremonyEvent competitions1Event finalsCCClosing ceremony
March 202604
Wed
05
Thu
06
Fri
07
Sat
08
Sun
09
Mon
10
Tue
11
Wed
12
Thu
13
Fri
14
Sat
15
Sun
Events
IPC logo black (2019).svg CeremoniesOCCC
Alpine skiing - Paralympic pictogram.svg Para alpine skiing 666333330
Biathlon - Paralympic pictogram.svg Para biathlon 66618
Cross-country skiing - Paralympic pictogram.svg Para cross-country skiing 666220
Ice sledge hockey - Paralympic pictogram.svg Para ice hockey 11
Snowboarding - Paralympic pictogram.svg Para snowboard 448
Wheelchair curling pictogram (Paralympics).svg Wheelchair curling 112
Daily medal events000121061273914679
Cumulative total000122228404750597379
March 202604
Wed
05
Thu
06
Fri
07
Sat
08
Sun
09
Mon
10
Tue
11
Wed
12
Thu
13
Fri
14
Sat
15
Sun
Total events

Ceremonies

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 6 March 2026 at the Verona Arena in Verona, with production by Filmmaster Group  [ it ]. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place on 15 March 2026 at the Stadio olimpico del ghiaccio in Cortina d'Ampezzo, with production by G2 Eventi – Casta Diva Group. [18]

Marketing

Emblem

On 30 March 2021, following a public vote between two candidates designed by Landor Associates, a design named "Futura" was announced as the emblem of both the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The Paralympic version is coloured with a red, blue, and green gradient to symbolise an aurora and the colours of the Paralympic agitos. [19] [20] [21]

Mascots

An online vote closing on 28 February 2023 was held among a list of candidates to select the mascots of the Olympics and Paralympics, with the winning candidates being inspired by stoats. [22] Their names were revealed to be Tina and Milo (derived from the names of the host cities), [23] with Milo, the brown stoat, being the Paralympic mascot. The character is portrayed as having been born without a leg, and represents ingenuity, willpower and creativity. [24]

Song

In March 2022, "Fino all'alba" (transl.Until dawn) by Arisa was unveiled as the official song for both the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. [25] The song was composed by Francesco Marrone and Giulio Gianni. [26]

Visual identity

The brand elements for both the 2026 Paralympic and Olympic Games were unveiled on 7 November 2024, drawing inspiration from gestures, which are commonly used in Italian communication. These include pictograms for the six Paralympic sports inspired by movements of athletes. [27] [28] Five graphic elements named "vibes" were designed, with contemporary Italian figures selected to represent them on social media: musician Dario Faini (creativity), athlete Bebe Vio (energy), comedian Federico Basso  [ it ] (imagination), chef Davide Oldani  [ it ] (passion), and dancer Nicoletta Manni (style). [27]

Corporate sponsorship

Sponsors of the 2026 Paralympic Games [29]
Worldwide partners
Premium partners
Partners
Sponsors
Supporters

Broadcasting

As with previous Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services will produce the feed used by broadcasters in their territories. [30] In Canada, the Paralympics will be broadcast by CBC/Radio-Canada platforms. [31]

See also

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References

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Preceded by Winter Paralympics
MilanCortina d'Ampezzo

XIV Paralympic Winter Games (2026)
Succeeded by