The Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games kick off officially on Friday with the opening ceremony at Verona Arena, the historic Roman amphitheatre that hosted the Olympic closing ceremony recently. Here are key highlights of the 50th-anniversary Winter Paralympics:
Similar to the Winter Olympics last month, the Paralympics are spread across northern Italy. Cortina d’Ampezzo hosts alpine skiing, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling, while nordic skiing events take place in Tesero. Milan’s Santagiulia arena is now equipped for Para hockey, where players maneuver on bladed sleds using short hockey sticks with picks.
Unlike the Olympics, the Winter Paralympics feature only six sports and run for nine days with 79 medal events, a record high for the Paralympics but significantly fewer than the Olympics. The Games will see 665 athletes competing for 79 medal sets, with skiing disciplines dominating with 68 medal events and snowboarding offering eight sets of medals.
The inclusion of mixed doubles in wheelchair curling is a new addition, expanding the medal opportunities. Canada, though not participating in the new event, is represented in the traditional four-player mixed game. Para hockey is technically a mixed sport, but female players are scarce, prompting calls for separate women’s and men’s tournaments at future Games.
In a controversial move, 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus are competing in Milan-Cortina under their national flags and anthems, a stark contrast to the neutral status given during the recent Olympics. This decision has led to Ukraine boycotting the opening ceremony, supported by several other nations. The Canadian Paralympic Committee opposed the reinstatement of Russia and Belarus, choosing not to send any athletes to the ceremony.
Team Canada comprises 50 athletes, including experienced Paralympians like Natalie Wilkie and Mark Arendz. Wilkie, a para nordic star, and Arendz, a medalist in various events, lead a strong team aiming to build on their success in Beijing.
The Games will be broadcast daily on CBC TV starting Saturday at noon ET, with live streaming available exclusively on the free CBC Gem app. Viewers can also access the action on Gem’s desktop site. Detailed schedules and additional coverage can be found on CBC’s Milan-Cortina Paralympics website.
