2026 Winter Paralympics becomes ‘biggest ever in history’ despite boycott threats: Key highlights

The 2026 Winter Paralympics is about to kick start in Italy on Friday with a dramatic and unprecedented blend of style, sporting excellence, and historical significance.

What’s more significant is the celebration of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), calling the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games the “biggest ever in history” dominated by record participation from multiple disciplines.

Looming boycott

However, the opening ceremony is grappling with boycott threats from several countries. As reported by the Guardian, seven countries, including Estonia, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine have boycotted the ceremony in protest at the inclusion of Russian athletes.

The British government has also refused to attend the 2026 Winter Paralympics due to imminent start of competition and objection over the participation of Russia.

Biggest event ever with record participation

According to IPC, 2026 Winter Paralympics will host a record 56 nations, 616 athletes to compete across 79 medal events in 6 sports, surpassing the previous record of 564 athletes from 49 nations at Pyeongchang 2018.

The IPC also celebrated record female participation, calling it a historic milestone for Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games.

There will be 160 female athletes who will compete for the fourth straight Paralympic Winter Games.

Delegations

Five countries will be debuting at the Winter Paralympics: El Salvador, Haiti, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Portugal. China has topped the delegation list with 70 athletes, followed by 68 from the US and 46 from Canada.

Event timeline

The games will run from March 6 to March 15, 2026.

• March 6 Opening Ceremony (Verona Arena)
• March 7 Alpine Skiing Downhill, Biathlon Sprint
• March 8 Snowboard Cross Finals, Biathlon Events
• March 9 Alpine Super-G, Ice Hockey Group Stage
• March 10 Alpine Combined, Cross-Country Sprint
• March 11 Wheelchair Curling Mixed Doubles Final
• March 12 Alpine Giant Slalom
• March 13 Biathlon Individual, Snowboard Banked Slalom
• March 14 Wheelchair Curling Team Final
• March 15 Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game & Closing Ceremony

Featured sports

• Cross-country skiing
• Biathlon
• Snowboarding
• Alpine skiing
• Curling
• Ice hockey

Where to watch?

Global audiences can watch the competition through official broadcasters and streaming platforms. In the US, Winter Paralympics coverage is available through USA Network, Peacock, NBC and CNBC.

In the UK, one can watch it on YouTube & Channel 4. In Canada and Australia coverage will be available through CBC Gem and 9Now respectively.