when are the winter paralympics 2026

The Winter Paralympics 2026, officially known as the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, are scheduled for March 6 to 15, 2026 , in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Wheelchair curling kicks off early on March 4 to fit its format, while the Opening Ceremony is on March 6 at Verona Arena and the Closing on March 15 in Cortina.

Key Schedule Highlights

This marks the 14th Winter Paralympics and 50th anniversary since 1976 in Sweden, featuring six sports across northern Italian venues.

• Para alpine skiing, Para snowboard : Cortina d’Ampezzo slopes.
• Para ice hockey : Milano Santagiulia Arena (e.g., U.S. prelims March 7–10).

• Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing : Anterselva biathlon centre.
• Wheelchair curling : earlier start for round-robin play.

Competitions ramp up from March 7–15, blending Olympic sites with Paralympic adaptations like athlete GPS tracking and 360° visuals for fans.

Trending Context Now

With today being February 14, 2026—just 20 days away —hype is building on social media and sites like Reddit, where fans debate Winter Games visibility versus Summer ones, yet praise Paralympic innovations. Recent 100-day and 500-day countdowns from IPC highlight 79 medal events, drawing global eyes.

> "The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will open on 6 March 2026." – IPC official update.

Viewing and Updates

Expect livestreams, daily highlights, and athlete stories via IPC partners, Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ), or Team USA Hockey hubs. PNZ even sends on-site coverage for Kiwi athletes.

Aspect| Details
---|---
Official Dates| March 6–15, 2026 15
Host Cities| Milano & Cortina d’Ampezzo 7
Sports Count| 6 (79 events total) 5
Broadcast| Regional partners + digital dashboards 1

TL;DR : Mark your calendar for March 6–15, 2026—Para athletes are set for historic races, with early action from March 4.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.