2026 Paralympic Winter Games Take Place in Changed World

The torch may have only recently gone out on the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, but the world has nonetheless changed a great deal already. Among its many impacts, the escalating conflict in the Middle East is disrupting travel across the region, and the first major international sports event to take place since those hostilities began will take place in Italy with the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Like the just concluded Olympics, the Paralympics will take place in Italy, with the opening ceremony taking place on Friday, March 6 at Verona Arena.

In the final days before the Paralympics began, the International Paralympic Committee said that many of the teams and athletes were already in Italy , but that some stakeholders were being impacted by the travel difficulties. In a statement, the IPC said, “We are assessing the impact on Games operations, in particular on travel, while maintaining a clear focus on delivering the best Paralympic Winter Games and ensuring the event continues to serve as a platform to drive social inclusion for the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disabilities.

“We would prefer not to comment on the status of individual delegations or stakeholders at this stage but can provide assurance that we are working diligently with Milano Cortina 2026 to find solutions for those affected. The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle event of the Paralympic Movement, and our top priority is for Paralympians to take centre stage as we deliver safe, secure, and spectacular Games in Italy’s awe-inspiring venues.”

Here’s what else you need to know about the Paralympics:

Dates: March 4 to March 15

Locations/Sports

Milan: Ice Hockey

Tesero: Biathlon; cross-country skiing

Cortina: Alpine skiing; snowboard; wheelchair curling

Opening Ceremony: Verona

Closing Ceremony: Cortina

This is the third time the Paralympics have been held in Italy, starting with the very first such Games in Rome in 1960 and continuing with the Turin Games of 2006. This is the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games.

Events: 79

Many of the events have multiple disciplines, most notably skiing (downhill sitting, downhill standing, SuperG and more). Curling has a mixed doubles event for the first time.

Participating Countries: 56

Perhaps the biggest news during the run-up to these Games is the fact that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete under their nations’ flag for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, a move Belarus has supported. In response, several countries — Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and the United Kingdom — have boycotted the opening ceremony.

Athletes:

The United States is sending the most athletes, with 72. Several counties, including Israel and Iran, are sending one apiece. Alpine skier Laurie Stephens and hockey’s Josh Pauls will be the U.S. flag bearers. Stephens won gold at a Paralympics in Italy 20 years ago in downhill, sitting. Pauls is part of the U.S. team that has won gold at each of the past four Games, and five of the past six.

In 2022 ice hockey was one of six gold medals won by the U.S., which finished with 20 medals overall. China finished first in both golds (18) and overall medals (61) in those Games and is sending 77 athletes to Italy this time around, the most of any nation.

How To Watch

As with the Olympics, the NBC family has broadcast rights to the Paralympics. USA Network will carry the opening ceremony; CNBC will have the closing ceremony. In between, NBC will have live coverage during the day and some primetime coverage at night, while USA Network will have daily coverage of the Games starting March 9. NBC will air the gold-medal hockey game — the final event of the Paralympics — on the morning of March 15.