live blog
We serve exclusive insights, a lot of service, the most important decisions, special moments, curiosities and funny things from the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy in the live blog.
9:06 a.m
Paralympics start with record numbers
The 2026 Paralympics are in the starting blocks. This evening (7:50 p.m. in the Sportschau live stream) the largest Paralympic Winter Games in history in terms of numbers will be ceremoniously opened in Italy in the amphitheater in Verona. The IPC announced that a record number of 612 participants from 56 countries qualified for the games. The previous record was 564 athletes from 48 delegations in Pyeongchang 2018.
In the following nine days of competition, starting on Saturday, there will be 79 medal decisions in the six para sports of alpine skiing, snowboarding, wheelchair curling, biathlon, cross-country skiing and ice hockey. With 40 athletes (eleven women, 29 men) and eight guides, the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) is the second largest German team in the history of the Winter Games.
8:30 a.m
Why sport is (still) in the background
The discussions about the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under their own national flag is the dominant topic before the start of the Paralympic Winter Games. Several nations are staying away from the opening ceremony out of protest and logistical reasons – including Germany. But it wasn’t just the International Paralympic Committee that was surprised by the force of the critical tones.
Mar 5, 2026 • 3:17 p.m
Forster and Wedde are German standard bearers
Alpine ski racer Anna-Lena Forster is the German flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics for the second time. As in Beijing in 2022, the four-time Paralympic monoski champion has been selected for this task. In addition to the 30-year-old, sledge hockey player Jörg Wedde is the second standard bearer. The 60-year-old from Hanover was already at the 2006 Paralympics in Turin, when the German selection last qualified for the games for athletes with handicaps.
In contrast to Beijing, where Forster led the German team together with Nordic skier Martin Fleig, the duo will not personally carry the flag at the opening ceremony this Friday in the Amphitheater in Verona. The celebration will take place without teams. Instead, like all standard bearers, only a video is shown on the screen.
March 5, 2026 • 2:25 p.m
IPC President Parsons promises “World class sport, that will surprise”
IPC President Andrew Parsons has promised a record-breaking event a day before the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games. “We are celebrating our 50th birthday. It will be the largest Paralympic Winter Games to date“, said the Brazilian at the opening press conference in Cortina d’Ampezzo: “I promise world class sport that will surprise you. Sport is offered that has a life-changing effect.“He Expects”an event that you will never forget“.
IPC President Andrew Parsons during the opening press conference of the Paralympics.
A total of 612 athletes from 56 nations will take part in the competitions in Milan, Cortina and Tesero, significantly exceeding the record of 564 participants from 48 countries from Pyeongchang 2018. A new record will also be reached in the number of women starting: 160 starters, 24 more than four years ago in Beijing, will take part. With El Salvador, Haiti, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Portugal, five nations are taking part in the Paralympic Winter Games for the first time.
Mar 5, 2026 • 11:52 am
Sanremo as a transition between the Olympics and Paralympics
Between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a third major event took place in Italy – the Sanremo Music Festival. In Liguria, in the north of Italy, at the oldest pop music competition in Europe, the focus this time was not only on the artists, but also on sport. Italian Olympic champions were able to celebrate and the Paralympics team got in the mood for the games in their own country.
The visually impaired alpine skier Giacomo Bertagnolli couldn’t hide his anticipation: “We are very excited. Both because we are on stage here in Sanremo, but above all because we will be in Cortina in a few days. We still have to prove ourselves, but we are prepared. But what I would like most would be the support of all of Italy – from everyone,” said the 27-year-old.
Mar 5, 2026 • 11:47 am
Stone theft while curling
Even before the official start of the Paralympic Games on Friday, a theft in curling is causing a stir. Two stones for the wheelchair curling competition that started on Wednesday were stolen from the curling stadium in Cortina, the World Curling Association announced. The theft is being investigated by local authorities.
The stones were previously used in the Olympic mixed doubles tournament, which is being held for the first time at the Paralympics. The theft has no impact on competition. The replacement stones have been made to the same specifications as the other stones in the game and will be used in place of the stolen granite stones, it said. German athletes are not taking part in the curling competitions.
Mar 5, 2026 • 10:58 am
Who will be the German? Paralympics top star?
Anna-Lena Forster (alpine skiing), Johanna Recktenwald and Marco Maier (biathlon/cross-country skiing), Jörg Wedde (para ice hockey) – Team Germany will compete at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina with a squad of veterans and hopeful talents. Who has what it takes to be a high-flyer in the games? Sportschau.de named the top stars in the German Paralympics team.
02/22/2026 • 9:50 p.m
Paralympics competitions start with Curling surprise
Two days before the opening ceremony, Italy made its first statement in wheelchair curling. The Paralympics host won the mixed doubles premiere in wheelchair curling 7:5 against world number one South Korea. China also celebrated a surprise by beating world champions Japan 10-3.
