Paralympic sports
During the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Cortina d’Ampezzo will host some of the most iconic disciplines of winter sports. Different in rules, characteristic,s and language, these sports are united by an exceptionally high level of technical excellence and spectacle.
In Cortina, these disciplines find one of their most authentic settings – places where technique meets Olympic history, and where each competition becomes part of a sporting narrative that spans time, renewing itself once again in 2026.
Wheelchair Curling
Wheelchair curling is a mixed team sport reserved for athletes with lower limb disabilities. During each end, each player throws two stones, for a total of eight per team, with the aim of getting them as close as possible to the centre of the target formed by concentric circles; the closer the stones are to the centre, the more points they score. The stone is pushed with the hand or using an extender, a special stick that allows the player to control the direction and speed, after stabilising the wheelchair if necessary.
Interesting fact
Wheelchair curling was included in the Paralympic Games programme starting with Turin 2006.
Interesting fact
Wheelchair curling was included in the Paralympic Games programme starting with Turin 2006.
Paralympic Snowboarding
The two disciplines on the programme are banked slalom, an individual event on a course with parabolic curves where the best time over two runs counts, and snowboard cross, which combines timed qualifiers and head-to-head challenges in the final stages. Athletes compete according to the type of disability: those with lower limb disabilities may use specific prostheses or braces, while those with upper limb disabilities compete without aids.
Interesting facts
Included in the Paralympic programme since 2014, the year of its debut in Sochi, Para Snowboarding has grown rapidly, winning over audiences and fans thanks to its intense and highly spectacular competitions. In addition to the traditional mixed team tournament, the pairs competition will also make its debut.
Interesting facts
Included in the Paralympic programme since 2014, the year of its debut in Sochi, Para Snowboarding has grown rapidly, winning over audiences and fans thanks to its intense and highly spectacular competitions. In addition to the traditional mixed team tournament, the pairs competition will also make its debut.
Alpine skiing Paralympic skiing
The competitions take place in five events and are divided into three categories: standing, sitting and vision impaired, with a time compensation system that allows people with different disabilities to compete fairly. The equipment varies according to the athletes' needs. Athletes in the sitting category use a monoski, which is a seat attached to a ski with shock absorbers, together with stabilisers with mini-skis to maintain balance and control. In the vision impaired category, on the other hand, athletes compete without mechanical aids: they follow the instructions of a guide via audio systems connected to headphones.
Interesting facts Skiing for people with disabilities began after the Second World War thanks to veterans who developed the first adapted equipment.
In the following years, the discipline also opened up to blind athletes, broadening participation. Since 1976, it has been part of the Winter Paralympic Games, with an increasingly comprehensive programme.
Interesting facts Skiing for people with disabilities began after the Second World War thanks to veterans who developed the first adapted equipment.
In the following years, the discipline also opened up to blind athletes, broadening participation. Since 1976, it has been part of the Winter Paralympic Games, with an increasingly comprehensive programme.
