The 2026 Winter Olympics may be over, but fans of the games still have a few more chances to see their favorite Olympic sports in action before a multi-year layoff. The 2026 Paralympics start are upon us and feature many of the same events already shown off by athletes at the Milan Cortina Games.
With the Paralympics just around the corner, here's everything fans need to know about the 2026 Paralympics, including the start date, events and how to watch coverage of the games.
When are the 2026 Paralympics?
The Opening Ceremony for the 2026 Paralympics will take place Friday, March 6. While that marks the "beginning" of the games, some sports — like wheelchair curling and para alpine skiing — are already underway. Both of those events began Wednesday, March 4, and continued into Thursday. The final events take place Sunday, March 15.
Where are the 2026 Paralympics?
Just like the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 2026 Paralympics will take place in Milan-Cortina in Italy. Milan and Cortina are technically two separate cities, but the event was called the Milan Cortina Games due to their proximity, and the fact that events will be held in both cities during the games.
2026 Paralympics events
The following sports will take place at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games:
Para alpine skiing
Wheelchair curling
Para biathlon
Para ice hockey
Para snowboard
Para cross-country skiing
Many of those sports will feature multiple events. Alpine skiing, for example, will include downhill sitting, downhill standing, super-G, slalom and various other events. The same can be said of biathlon, snowboarding and cross-country skiing, which will also feature multiple events in those sports. Wheelchair curling will hold a mixed doubles event and a mixed team event at the 2026 Paralympics. And Para ice hockey will feature one tournament. The gold-medal hockey game will close out the Paralympics, and is scheduled to be the final event of the Games before the Closing Ceremony.
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2026 Paralympics athletes to watch
Team USA will send a total of 72 athletes the Paralympics in 2026. That isfive more athletesthan the country sent to Beijing in 2022, per Axios.
Here are a few of the biggest names to watch at the games:
Para skier Oksana Masters: Masters is a multisport Paralympic athlete. During the Winter Paralympics, she competes in skiing, where she's won three gold medals in various para skiing events over the years. She's also a Paralympic rower during the Summer Paralympics, and has two golds in that event.
Para snowboarder Brenna Huckaby: At age 14, Huckaby had her leg amputated due to cancer. She learned to snowboard following that procedure and has three Paralympic gold medals under her belt.
Para skier Joshua Sweeney: A former member of the United States Marine Corp., Sweeney received a Purple Heart after being deployed to Afghanistan. He stepped on an IED while overseas, losing both legs. Sweeney initially competed in Para ice hockey, winning a gold medal in the sport at the 2014 Paralympics. He switched to para skiing in 2022 and will compete in that sport in Italy in 2026.
Para ice hockey player Declan Farmer: A long-time veteran of Team USA, Farmer has won three Paralympic gold medals in ice hockey. He's been a big name in the sport since age 14, when he first made the American national team.
Wheelchair curling athletes Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer: Mixed doubles curling will make its debut at the 2026 Paralympics, and Emt and Dwyer have a shot at a medal. The pair went 4-2 at the world championships in 2025, though missed out on making the playoffs. Emt, 56, will be the oldest person on Team USA's Paralympics roster.
How to watch the 2026 Paralympics?
The 2026 Paralympics will air on various networks and streaming platforms, including NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC and NBCSports, perparalympic.org.
Until the Opening Ceremony, coverage of the games can only be viewed via streaming. That will change Friday night, as USA Network will carry the Opening Ceremony.
CNBC will then carry live coverage of events, with NBC picking up either live coverage during the day or prime-time viewing later at night. Between Monday, March 9, and Friday, March 13, USA Network will carry daily coverage of the 2026 Paralympics.
Coverage will shift back to CNBC Saturday, March 14, with NBC once again providing prime-time coverage later that evening. On the final day of the Paralympics, CNBC will provide early coverage, though NBC will air the gold-medal hockey game.
The 2026 Paralympics Closing Ceremony will air on CNBC.
