The 2026 Winter Paralympics kicks off in Italy: where to watch the opening ceremony

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will be held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from 6 to 15 March.

At the XIV Winter Paralympics, 79 sets of medals will be awarded in six sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, hockey and curling.

The Ukrainian team will represent the Games with a record-breaking 35 athletes: 25 Paralympic athletes and 10 guide athletes. Ukrainians will compete for medals in four disciplines: biathlon, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding.

Meanwhile, Ukraine, along with several other countries, will boycott the Paralympic Games opening ceremony. The reason for this is the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

Several countries have already joined the boycott, including Poland , the Czech Republic , Finland , Latvia , Estonia , the Netherlands , Canada , Croatia , Lithuania , Germany , Austria , Romania , the United Kingdom and France .

Previously, the International Paralympic Committee permitted six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to participate in the competition under their national flags, and also permitted the use of national symbols and the performance of national anthems during the awards ceremonies.

The opening ceremony can be watched online on the official YouTube channel of the Paralympic Games.

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