From Örnsköldsvik 1976 to Milano Cortina 2026: Evolution of the Winter Games
Fifty years on from the Örnsköldsvik 1976 Opening Ceremony, explore the remarkable growth of the Paralympic Winter Games 21 Feb 2026
On 6 March, the Arena di Verona, a historic Roman amphitheatre in northern Italy, will provide a stunning backdrop to the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
While the façade of the Arena di Verona may have retained some of its original features, the Paralympic Winter Games in their current form are almost unrecognisable compared to the trailblazing edition held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics, which take place from 6–15 March, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games.
As many as 665 Para athletes from 50 National Paralympic Committees will gather in Italy to compete in 79 medal events across six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.
The contrast with Örnsköldsvik 1976 could not be greater. The inaugural Games featured 198 athletes from 16 countries who competed in two sports – Para alpine skiing and Para cross-country skiing. There were competitions for athletes with amputations and athletes with vision impairment.
The inaugural Paralympic Winter Games
Ola Olsson was on the Örnsköldsvik 1976 Organising Committee as the chairman of the Para cross-country skiing committee. It was his first time organising a Para sport competition.
“It was fun, educational and an honour to be part of the organising staff. I had experience in organising competitions for people without disabilities and had a good organisation around me,” he recalled.
“It was a great experience to see how talented the athletes were, especially from the Nordic countries. It was also fun to see how the skiers who supported the athletes took on the task.”
Sweden's own Birgitta Sund became the poster girl of the first Games, winning three Paralympic gold medals in Para cross-country skiing, while West Germany topped the medals table with 10 gold, 12 silver and six bronze medals.
The Paralympic Winter Games in the 1980s
The second Paralympic Winter Games took place in Geilo, Norway, in 1980. Ice sledge speed skating was added as a medal event, attracting 26 athletes from five countries.
However, it was the hosts, Norway, who stole the show in the new discipline thanks to the efforts of Brit Mjaasund Oejen, who secured all three golds available in the sport as well as two golds in Para cross-country skiing. Norway also topped the medal table, claiming 54 medals including 23 golds.
Innsbruck became the first city to host the Games twice in succession, in 1984 and 1988. The roster of medal events was also broadened by the inclusion of downhill events in Para alpine skiing.
The 1988 Games were to be the Games of Knut Lundstroem, who wrote himself into Paralympic history with an outstanding performance as he secured a total of seven medals in Para cross-country skiing and ice sledge speed skating, an unparalleled feat at the Winter Games.
The Paralympic Winter Games in the 1990s
Tignes Albertville 1992 brought together 365 Para athletes from 24 delegations who competed in 79 medal events across three sports. Nineteen of the 24 competing delegations won at least one medal, with the USA topping the medals table for the first time in Paralympic Winter Games history.
The Games returned to Norway for a second time, this time at Lillehammer 1994. A total of 469 Para athletes from 31 countries competed in 133 medal events across five sports, including Para ice hockey for the first time.
Sweden emerged as the inaugural gold medallists in the sport, defeating the hosts. Ragnhild Myklebust earned legendary status by winning nine medals (five gold, two silver and two bronze) across ice sledge speed skating, Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, a record that remains to this day.
In 1998, Japan became the first Paralympic Winter Games host from outside Europe. More than 560 athletes competed in front of more than 150,000 spectators who gathered in the city to watch competitions in five sports.
Evolution of the Paralympic Winter Games continues
The evolution and growth of the Paralympic Winter Games have continued unabated, with each edition across the past 30 years breaking new ground and setting new records. From the addition of wheelchair curling at Torino 2006, to ticket sales reaching an all-time high at Vancouver 2010, and Para snowboard making its Paralympic debut at Sochi 2014, many milestones have been reached in the Paralympic Movement.
Beijing 2022 was filled with athletic feats and historic firsts. Young athletes pulled off exceptional performances, while veterans showed their dominance on the snow and ice.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which take place from 6–15 March, promise to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games in history. A new medal event will debut in wheelchair curling, a sport that was introduced to the Paralympic programme in Italy 20 years ago.
In his address in the official programme for Örnsköldsvik 1976, Bengt Hollén, the president of the Swedish Sports Organisation for the Disabled, stated that the maiden event had been approached with “thrill and interest”, declaring that the Games indicated “a marked advance in the history of both the national and international sports movement for people with disabilities.”
Little could Hollén have dreamed that the seeds sown in Sweden 50 years ago would blossom into the worldwide celebration of sporting endeavour and achievement that we know today.
Discover more about each edition of the Paralympic Winter Games
