Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Every four years, the Paralympic Winter Games bring together elite athletes competing at the highest level. The 2026 Paralympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo began on March 6. This year, athletes are competing for medals in six sports and 79 disciplines. Many winter sports fans are familiar with the six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, and curling. At the Paralympic Games, these sports are contested in adapted para versions.
Para alpine skiing includes 30 events across men’s and women’s competitions. Similar to the Olympics, the sport includes Super G, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, and Alpine Combined disciplines. At the Paralympics, there are several competitions for each type of Alpine skiing, tailored to specific disabilities. The categories are sitting, standing, and vision impaired. In sitting alpine skiing, athletes race in a specially designed seat and steer with the help of arm supports. A single ski is attached to the seat, known as monoski. The standing category is for athletes who have physical impairments or missing limbs. These athletes are still able to stand and compete in the race either with two skis or a monoski. Visually impaired athletes compete in a team alongside their guide, who leads them through the gates during the race. This is often done with instructions via a communication device. At every event of the Paralympic Games, both the vision impaired athlete and the guide receive a medal.
Para biathlon is also divided into the categories vision impaired, sitting, and standing. Athletes from all three classes can win medals in the sprint, individual, and sprint pursuit disciplines. The sprint covers a distance of 7.5 km, while the individual covers 12.5 km. Sitting athletes use a seat that is mounted on cross-country skis. They move forward by using poles. During the race, athletes must aim at targets 10 meters away. For athletes with upper limb disabilities, a coach operates the rifle on the athlete’s command. Visually impaired athletes are given headphones that play sound frequencies. The closer the rifle is aligned with the target, the louder the sound.
Unlike para biathlon, para cross-country skiing focuses on endurance skiing without the shooting component. Athletes can compete in the sprint, 10km and 20km disciplines and the relay. The course may include elevation changes.
Para ice hockey is played by athletes with lower body disabilities. Players sit in special chairs equipped with two blades. Ice hockey players move forward using sticks, which are also used to pass and shoot the puck. Unlike the Olympic Games, the Paralympics feature a combined team for men and women. However, the lineups are usually entirely male. In a knockout mode, teams play until the final. Eight teams are represented at the current Games.
Para-snowboarding is another sport featured at the Paralympic Winter Games. Athletes can compete in two events. Banked slalom involves navigating a series of turns to the finish line. In snowboard cross, athletes race against each other and have to overcome obstacles such as jumps. In both disciplines, there are lower and upper limb impairment classes. Athletes are allowed to use prostheses.
The final discipline is wheelchair curling. Athletes have lower limb disabilities and compete in teams. A delivery stick is used to push the curling stone toward the circle. Once pushed forward, the stone cannot be redirected. Team members can hold the active player’s wheelchair to provide more stability. There are two events in total. Four athletes compete in the mixed team event, and both women and men are represented. The mixed doubles competition is taking place for the first time in 2026. The team consists of one man and one woman.
The six sports at the Paralympic Winter Games allow athletes of different abilities to compete at the highest level. The athletes are sorted into classification groups based on the impact of the disability. Through this classification system, the Paralympics aim to create fair competition. A specialty of the Paralympics is the target time. It is calculated using a specific factor that depends on the assigned class of disability. The Paralympic Winter Games end on March 15 and will next take place in 2030 in the French Alps. All six sports are expected to return and hopefully attract even more attention from fans around the world.