Upcoming multi-parasport event in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games (), also known as the 2026 Winter Paralympics () 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.
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. It will be the first Paralympic Games since Tignes-Albertville 1992 to officially feature multiple host cities, and will be the first Winter Paralympics since Vancouver 2010 where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in different venues. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympic Games.
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. The bid was presented at the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees on 28 November 2018 in Tokyo. 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.
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. The flag was then flown back to Italy, where it arrived the following day. Both the Olympic flag and the Paralympic flag are displayed at Palazzo Marino and will remain there until the end of their respective events.
Torch relay.
The torch relay is scheduled to take place from 24 February to 6 March 2026, with 501 torchbearers covering . The flame will be lit at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the 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.
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. As of December 2024, almost 70,000 applications have been received.
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.
Venues.
Five competition venues will be used for the 2026 Paralympic Games, in addition to non-competitive venues including three Paralympic Villages.
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. A total of 665 athlete quota places are available: 323 for men, 176 for women, and 166 gender-free.
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.Due the large schedule,the 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 with the Cross-country relay events.
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Ceremonies.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for 6 March 2026 at the Verona Arena in Verona, with production by Filmmaster Group. 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.
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.
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. Their names were revealed to be Tina and Milo (derived from the names of the host cities), 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.
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. The song was composed by Francesco Marrone and Giulio Gianni.
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. 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 (imagination), chef Davide Oldani (passion), and dancer Nicoletta Manni (style).
Broadcasting.
As with previous Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services will produce the feed used by broadcasters in their territories. Up to 300 hours of live coverage will be provided to media rights holders, similar to what was done with the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. In Canada, the Paralympics will be broadcast by CBC/Radio-Canada platforms.
References.
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