The Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games conclude this Sunday. China dominated the medal table, as in Beijing, but these Winter Games will be remembered for a much broader reason.
The Paralympic Movement is pushing back its boundaries
With 611 athletes competing, a new record was set at the Winter Paralympic Games. The previous record was held by PyeongChang 2018 with 564 athletes. Fifty-five national committees were represented, another record. Among them were five newcomers: El Salvador, which had never participated in the Winter Olympic or Paralympic Games, cheered on David Chavez and Jonathan Arias in para cross-country skiing.
Ralf Etienne, the first representative in Haitian history to compete in para alpine skiing, participated in the Games. Having lost his left leg in the 2010 earthquake, he had only taken up skiing a year prior and was determined to give hope to the youth of his country. This year will hold a significant place in Haitian sporting history, as the country will also be competing in its first FIFA World Cup this summer. North Macedonia (Zoran Jovanovski, para alpine skiing), Montenegro (Andrej Sibalic, para snowboarding), and Portugal (Diogo Carmona, para snowboarding) also held their first Paralympic Winter Games.
This winter will also go down in the annals of Brazilian sport: after Lucas Pinheiro Braathen's gold medal in February, Cristian Westemaier Ribera followed his example by winning the country's first-ever medal at the Winter Paralympic Games. A silver medalist in the 5km seated event, he finished the race in tears. My dream has come true. My dream and my family's dream. " he confided. The best kind of publicity to continue changing perceptions of people with disabilities.
Who run the world?
It's impossible to talk about these Games without mentioning Oksana Masters. Competing for the eighth time at the Paralympic Games (summer and winter combined), the American added three medals to her already impressive collection: two golds in para cross-country skiing and one silver in para biathlon. She has a total of 22 Paralympic medals since her medal haul began in London in 2012. At 36, she continues to fight. For all Paralympic athletes, for all athletes with disabilities who have been ignored and told they would never measure up and didn't belong ».
https://x.com/NBCOlympics/status/2031675115209929194
Another major figure at these Games: the Japanese athlete Fukunishi Akari, who joined the very exclusive circle of women who participated in the ice hockey tournamentMilan-Cortina 2026 will remain a record-breaking edition for women: 160 lined up, an 18% increase compared to the previous record of 136 participants set in Beijing in 2022. Bring on 2030!
