China topped the table and 27 nations medalled a record. But fewer than 40% of athletes walked in the opening ceremony.
Published: Monday, 27 July 2026 | BrandClickX News Desk
Note: The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games finished on 15 March 2026. This is a results and legacy report, not a live schedule. The next Winter Paralympics are in the French Alps in 2030.
Summary
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games ran from 6 to 15 March 2026 across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and northern Italy. A record 611 athletes from 55 National Paralympic Committees contested 79 medal events in six sports. China finished top with 44 medals. The Games also drew the biggest political protest in Paralympic history, after Russia and Belarus were readmitted under their own flags.
What Happened?
The 14th Winter Paralympic Games opened at the Arena di Verona on 6 March and closed nine days later at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium under the theme “Italian Souvenir”.
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons declared the Games closed and handed the Paralympic flag to the organisers of the French Alps 2030 Games.
By the International Paralympic Committee’s own count, the event set several records. Participation, female representation and the spread of medals across nations all reached new highs.
The competition was overshadowed, though not derailed, by the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes after a four-year absence.
Who Won the 2026 Winter Paralympics?
China finished top of the medal table with 44 medals, including 15 golds. It was the second consecutive Winter Games in which China led, following its home Games in Beijing in 2022.
The United States placed second with 24 medals. Host nation Italy recorded its best-ever Winter Paralympic performance with 16, finishing fourth. France took 12 medals for sixth.
Russia’s national anthem played eight times during the Games — the first time it had been heard at a Paralympics since Sochi in 2014.
Twenty-seven NPCs won at least one medal, the highest number ever recorded. Eighteen won gold, equalling the previous record.
Where China Dominated
Para biathlon was the engine. Chinese athletes took eight golds, five silvers and two bronzes in the discipline alone.
Biathlete Jiayun Cai won the first gold of the Games in the men’s sprint standing, then added the individual standing and sprint pursuit standing titles. He now has six career Paralympic medals.
China also swept the podium in the men’s 20km cross-country standing event, with Wang Chenyang, Huang Lingxin and Liu Xiabin taking gold, silver and bronze.
Which Athletes Stood Out?
Five athletes finished with five medals each — the highest individual haul of the Games.
| Athlete | Nation | Sport | G | S | B |
| Veronika Aigner | Austria | Para alpine skiing | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Oksana Masters | USA | Para nordic | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Kim Yunji | Korea | Para nordic | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Giacomo Bertagnolli | Italy | Para alpine skiing | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Wang Yue | China | Para nordic | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Jake Adicoff of the United States won four golds. Teammate Sydney Peterson took three golds and a silver. Austria’s Johannes Aigner and Sweden’s Ebba Aarsjö each finished with three golds and a bronze.
France’s Arthur Bauchet, one of Para alpine skiing’s biggest names, recovered from a difficult start to win — a comeback the IPC highlighted as among the Games’ defining stories.
The Two Curling Finals People Confuse
Wheelchair curling produced two separate champions, and coverage has muddled them ever since.
Mixed doubles (new event). China’s Wang Meng and Yang Jinqiao beat Korea’s Baek Hyejin and Lee Yongsuk 9–7 in an extra end on 11 March to become the first Paralympic champions in the discipline. Latvia beat the USA 11–10 for bronze Latvia’s first Winter Paralympic medal.
Yang, 24, was the youngest athlete in the tournament. He said afterwards that he only allowed himself to think about the medal “once I knew I had won it”.
Mixed team. Canada beat China 4–3 on 14 March, with Mark Ideson delivering the winning shot with 2.8 seconds on the clock. Canada went undefeated across 11 games and claimed its first wheelchair curling gold since Sochi 2014. Sweden took bronze.
Para Ice Hockey: A Fifth Straight US Title
The United States became the first team to win five consecutive Paralympic Para ice hockey titles, beating Canada in the final at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.
Jack Wallace scored a hat-trick. It was the third North American final in a row between the two nations.
Why the Games Were Politically Charged
Russia and Belarus competed under their own flags for the first time since 2014, and much of the field refused to march alongside them.
The sequence matters. In September 2025, the IPC General Assembly voted to lift partial suspensions on both nations. International federations initially maintained their own bans, but a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in December 2025 opened a route back through the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
Russia and Belarus ultimately sent a combined 10 Para athletes.
Sixteen countries formally boycotted the opening ceremony. Fewer than 40% of athletes attended, many staying away in solidarity with Ukraine.
Ukraine boycotted both ceremonies and accused the IPC of discriminating against its athletes. The IPC responded that Ukraine appeared to be trying to “politicize the event”.
A separate conflict also reached the Games. Iran’s only qualified competitor, Para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi, withdrew because he could not travel safely to Italy after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on 28 February.
Timeline
| Date | Development |
| Sept 2025 | IPC General Assembly votes to readmit Russia and Belarus |
| Dec 2025 | CAS ruling opens qualification route via FIS |
| 6 Mar 2026 | Opening ceremony at Arena di Verona; 16 nations boycott |
| 11 Mar 2026 | China wins inaugural wheelchair curling mixed doubles |
| 14 Mar 2026 | Canada takes wheelchair curling mixed team gold |
| 15 Mar 2026 | USA win fifth straight Para ice hockey title; Games close |
| 30 Mar 2026 | IPC confirms record participation figures |
| 2030 | French Alps host the next Winter Paralympics |
Records Set at Milano Cortina 2026
- 611 athletes — the most at any Winter Paralympics
- 160 female athletes — a record for the fourth consecutive Winter Games, up 18% on Beijing 2022
- 27 NPCs won medals — the highest ever
- 18 NPCs won gold — equalling the record
- Five debutant nations — El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal
- 79 medal events across six sports
Brazil’s Cristian Ribeira won silver in Para cross-country skiing — his country’s first Winter Paralympic medal, and the first won by any tropical, Latin American or South American NPC.
Ribeira was one of 39 athletes and four guides from 23 nations supported by IPC development programmes. Those athletes collectively won 10 medals.
What Experts and Officials Say
The IPC has framed Milano Cortina as evidence that Paralympic winter sport is broadening beyond a handful of dominant nations. The record number of medalling countries supports that reading.
Critics counter that the participation record sits awkwardly next to a half-empty opening ceremony. When most competing athletes decline to march, the headline figure describes attendance rather than unity.
Andrew Parsons has since signalled that the IPC is discussing adding sports to the Winter Games programme a meaningful prospect given the current roster of six, against more than 20 at the Summer Games.
The commercial picture was more encouraging. Tickets started at €10 for under-14s, with roughly 89% priced at €35 or less, and venues including the Cortina curling stadium played to full houses.
What Happens Next?
The French Alps host the 2030 Winter Paralympics. Salt Lake City follows in 2034. On the summer side, Los Angeles stages the 2028 Games and Brisbane 2032.
Two questions carry forward.
Will the programme expand? Adding sports would widen participation but stretch the resources of smaller NPCs.
Will the Russia dispute resolve or harden? Nothing at Milano Cortina settled it. The same fixture is likely in 2030 unless the geopolitical situation changes.
Some Milano Cortina debutants have already stated that the French Alps are their target.
Key Takeaways
- The Games ran 6–15 March 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo
- China topped the table with 44 medals, including 15 gold
- The USA finished second with 24; Italy recorded its best-ever result
- A record 611 athletes from 55 nations competed in 79 events
- 27 nations won medals — more than at any previous Winter Paralympics
- Russia and Belarus returned under their own flags after nine years
- 16 countries boycotted the opening ceremony
- Wheelchair curling mixed doubles debuted; China won it, Canada won the team event
- The next Winter Paralympics are in the French Alps in 2030
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the 2026 Winter Paralympics held? From 6 to 15 March 2026, in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and surrounding areas of northern Italy. The opening ceremony took place at the Arena di Verona and the closing ceremony in Cortina.
Who won the most medals at the 2026 Winter Paralympics? China finished first with 44 medals, including 15 gold. It was China’s second consecutive Winter Paralympic medal table win. The United States placed second with 24 medals overall.
How many sports were at the 2026 Winter Paralympics? Six: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling. These accounted for 79 medal events across the ten days of competition.
Did Russia compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics? Yes. Russia and Belarus sent a combined 10 athletes, competing under their own flags for the first time since 2014, after an IPC vote in September 2025 and a CAS ruling that December.
Why did countries boycott the opening ceremony?
Sixteen nations boycotted in protest at Russia’s readmission, in solidarity with Ukraine. Fewer than 40% of athletes attended. Ukraine boycotted both ceremonies and accused the IPC of discrimination.
What new event debuted in 2026?
Wheelchair curling mixed doubles. China’s Wang Meng and Yang Jinqiao won the first Paralympic title, beating Korea 9–7 in an extra end. Latvia took bronze its first Winter Paralympic medal.
Which athlete won the most golds?
Four athletes won four golds each: Veronika Aigner of Austria, Oksana Masters of the United States, and Jake Adicoff of the United States. Aigner and Masters finished with five medals in total.
When are the next Winter Paralympics?
The French Alps host the 2030 Winter Paralympic Games. Salt Lake City follows in 2034. The next Paralympics of any kind are the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.
Conclusion
Milano Cortina delivered the broadest Winter Paralympics yet. More athletes, more women, more nations on the podium than at any previous edition.
It also delivered the movement’s sharpest political split in decades and no mechanism for resolving it before 2030.
Both things are true, and the record book only captures one of them.
