The 2026 Winter Paralympics starts today in Milano-Cortina, from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 15, in a edition that will take place 50 years after the first Winter Paralympic Games, held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976 (and 66 years after the first Summer Paralympic Games in Rome 1960).
50 years ago, 16 nations participated in what was then called "1st Winter Olympic Games for the Disabled", with 196 athletes in total, with only two sports, Alpine and Nordic skiing, for amputee and visually impaired athletes. West Germany and Switzerland won the most gold medals, and the Swede Birgitta Sund won three gold medals.
In the 2026 edition, there will be 612 athletes from 56 nations, with 79 events in six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboard and curling.
China (77 athletes), United States (72), Canada (50 athletes), Germany (48) Japan (46), and Italy (45) are the countries with more athletes participating.
Russia (7 athletes) and Belarus (4) will also appear, with athletes representing their flag, instead of being considered neutral (unlike other Olympic events, including the Winter Games that ended last month), which caused protests from Ukraine, who will boycott the opening ceremony alongside Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. France and Great Britain also refused to send government officials to protest.
Will you watch the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina this week?