2026 Winter Paralympics

XIV Paralympic Winter Games
LocationMilan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
MottoDreaming Together (Italian: Sognando insieme)
Events79 in 6 sports
Opening6 March 2026 (in 15 months)
Closing15 March 2026
StadiumVerona Arena (opening ceremony)
Cortina Ice Olympic Stadium (closing ceremony)
Winter
Summer
2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Winter Paralympics (Italian: Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2026), officially the XIV Paralympic Winter Games (Italian: XIV Giochi paralimpici invernali) and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is an international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, scheduled to take place from 6 to 15 March 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The election was held on 24 June 2019 at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the IOC headquarters. Milan-Cortina were elected as hosts, defeating Stockholm-Åre.[1]

This will be the third Paralympic Games hosted in Italy and will mark the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin.

Sports

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79 events in six Winter Paralympic sports are expected. A mixed doubles event will make its debut in Wheelchair curling,[2]

Venues

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The venues for the Games are below.[3]

Milan Cluster

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  • Fiera Milano Rho - Ice sledge hockey, International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre

Calendar

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The first version of the schedule was released in March 2024. Competition will begin two days before the opening ceremony on 4 March with the first two rounds of the wheelchair curling mixed doubles, and end on 15 March 2026.[4]

Marketing

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Emblem

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On 30 March 2021, following a public vote between two candidates designed by Landor Associates, a design named "Futura" was announced as the emblem of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The Paralympic version is recoloured with a red, blue, and green gradient to symbolise an aurora and the colours of the Paralympic emblem.[5][6][7]

Mascot

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An online vote closing on 28 February 2023 was held among a list of candidates to select the mascots of the Olympics and Paralympics, with the winning candidates being inspired by stoats.[8] Their names were revealed to be Tina and Milo (derived from the names of the host cities),[9] with Milo, the brown stoat, being the Paralympic mascot. The character is portrayed as having been born without a leg, and represents ingenuity, willpower and creativity.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Winter Olympics: Italy's Milan-Cortina bid chosen as host for the 2026 Games". BBC News. 24 June 2019.
  2. ^ "IPC Governing Board take key decisions for future Paralympic Games".
  3. ^ "Proposed venues". architectureofthegames.net. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  4. ^ https://milanocortina2026.olympics.com/s3fs-public/documents/2024-06/Allegato%201_b_CompetitionSchedule_PLY_V.3_.pdf?VersionId=wqGZMorhFXI08NZ2s9l0uw9L8v1SqrK1
  5. ^ "Milano Cortina 2026, i nuovi simboli. E' 'Futura' il logo scelto, bianco per le olimpiadi, colorato per le paralimpiadi – Sport". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Milan Cortina 2026 unveil "Futura" design as Winter Olympic and Paralympic logo". www.insidethegames.biz. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  7. ^ "'Futura' is the official emblem of Milano Cortina 2026". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Milano-Cortina: dalla Calabria la mascotte delle Olimpiadi". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 1 March 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  9. ^ Di Grazia, Ida (7 February 2024). "Sanremo 2024, diretta seconda serata Incursione del signor Ruggero di Viva Rai2. I cantanti diventano presentatori. Giorgia co-conduttrice". Leggo (in Italian). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  10. ^ "The mascots of Milano Cortina 2026". olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
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Preceded by Winter Paralympics
MilanCortina d'Ampezzo

XIV Paralympic Winter Games (2026)
Succeeded by