The 2026 winter paralympics began March 6 and ended on March 15, taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy according to ESPN.

The Paralympics is a big event that brings together athletes from all over the world to represent their home country.

“The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle globing sporting event for Para athletes, showcasing the very best of Para sport, and providing optimal conditions for a diverse group of Paralympic athletes to achieve excellence,” according to the international paralympic committee. 

“More than 650 of the world’s best athletes with disabilities will compete for 79 gold medals across six sports,” according to ESPN.

These sports included para alpine skiing, para snowboarding, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, and wheelchair curling.

Para alpine skiing is where athletes race down the slopes based on the athletes functional ability, for example seating, standing and visually impaired.
“The sport has been a part of every Winter Paralympic Games since the inaugural edition in 1976,” according to ESPN.

Para biathlon combines cross country and target shooting.

There is a sprint, middle distance, pursuit and individual events. 

The sport has been a part of the winter paralympics since 1988.

Para cross – country has been a sport in the winter paralympics since 1976.

“ Athletes with physical disabilities in the upper and lower limbs (standing) and lower limbs and trunk (sit-ski), as well as competitors with vision impairments race long distances across varied terrain. Athletes with vision impairments can elect to compete with a sighted guide,” according to ESPN. 

The People’s Republic of China won the most medals, winning 44 in total which is 20 more than second place, United States of America,

The United States won 24 medals in total.

The United States had 13 gold medals which is their strongest performance in over 20 years. 

According to POWDER, there was a record attendance for the US versus Canada Para ice hockey game.

In this game there were 11,500 people who watched the USA Team win their fifth consecutive Paralympic gold medal. 

Along with the games there was some controversy with Ukraine.  

Ukraine chose to boycott both the opening and closing ceremonies, “Ukraine boycotted both the opening and closing ceremonies in protest, with the team collectively refusing to stand alongside delegations from countries they say are actively waging war against their homeland,” according to jubileecast. 

In the 2026 paralympics there was a record number of women who competed, “A total of 160 female competitors challenged for medals across six sports, an 18 per cent increase on the previous record high of 136 women set at Beijing 2022,” according to the international paralympic committee. 

The next paralympics will be in 2028.