Milano Cortina 2026: Meet Italy's Para ice hockey trio working to put on a home Games

Gabriele Lanza cheered for his teammates and celebrated Italy's dramatic victory in the Para ice hockey playoffs at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. He did not play at the National Indoor Stadium, but he still understood how special the Paralympic Winter Games are.

Three years later, the Italian athlete is preparing to play on the biggest stage and in front of a home crowd at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. When he is not training on the ice, he is working at the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG) as a logistics specialist.

"We have a good motivation to do our job at Milano Cortina," Lanza said. "We are starting to feel the pressure in both versions as workers and athletes. As an athlete, we are starting to see banners outside the city in Milano (saying) 'One Year To Go,' and that is pressure."

Excitement and pressure

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which open on 6 March 2026, is set to welcome up to 665 athletes from around 50 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs).

Lanza's teammates Andrea Macri and Alessandro Andreoni are also working to put on the Olympic and Paralympic Games and showcase the best of winter sports at stunning venues located in northern Italy.

Four-time Paralympian Macri's work focuses on Paralympic legacy, while two-time Paralympian Andreoni is in the communications department.

"It's an important (milestone). It's the end of a journey and the start of the Games year," Andreoni said about the one-year-to-go milestone.

"Even if we are in the Organising Committee, we now know that organising and training for the Games is difficult. We are trying to do our best and to be the best (version) of us for the matches on home ice."

Andreoni, who works on the brand team in charge of design projects, is from Varese, a province located northwest of Milan. Next year, eight of the world’s best Para ice hockey teams will compete for the podium at the Palaitalia Santa Giulia in Milan.

"We are really excited thinking about the arenas full for us with our friends and families. For me, it is the first time that such an important tournament - the Paralympics, which is the best and most important tournament - will be near my hometown.

"I already know that most of my friends and family will be there. I'm starting to feel the pressure."

The definition of accessibility 

For the 33-year-old Macri, it is his fifth one-year milestone ahead of the Games. He made his Paralympic debut in wheelchair fencing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, before swapping his fencing foil for Para ice hockey sticks ahead of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

But the veteran athlete is going into his fifth Games with a different mindset.

"Honestly, I don't feel so much pressure. This is strange, but with the opportunity to work at the Milano Cortina Organising Committee, I think my life has taken a different direction," Macri said.

"It's really nice and interesting for me to work in that area (of legacy) because we are collecting all the opportunities, all the projects, all the things that the Games can leave to the territories."

Macri believes that Milano Cortina 2026 will create positive changes and foster inclusion in the host country. By positive change, he is not only talking about installing more accessible infrastructure but also changing people’s perceptions toward disability.

"It is important for us to make the Games accessible for all, and from my point of view, the biggest thing that I've learned and that I'm still learning in the OCOG is the real meaning of accessibility," Macri said.

"It is completely different from the ramps and the steps we are used to thinking about. What I'm learning in this whole experience is that one of the main barriers is the people - the attitude of the people and how they perceive disability."

By showcasing the best of Para sport at venues in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and Tesero, Macri believes that the Games can show how "disability is something normal."

“There is visibility that without the Games there wouldn’t be,” Macri said. “Also, it’s not only about the athletes, not only about the sports, but what we are working so hard on is about the type of welcoming the people with disabilities (will receive)."

From Beijing 2022 to Milano Cortina 2026

Three years ago, in the playoffs for fifth place at Beijing 2022, Macri scored an equalizer against the Czech Republic with just 11 seconds remaining on the clock. Italy went on to win the game 4-3 and finish as the top-ranked team from Europe.

Lanza, who received a late call-up to the Beijing 2022 team, does not recall what it felt like a year before the Games. But he remembers what it felt like to be at the Paralympics for the first time.

"This was also a super experience because it was my first Paralympics, first Opening Ceremony, and the stadium.

"The first time at a Paralympic stadium, and this was so good, so beautiful, and I said, ‘OK, I'm really here'."

"To see Andrea score the goal to go 3-3 against the Czech Republic (in the playoffs) and after watching that match, it was a very, very big emotion."

Andreoni, who made his Paralympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, remembers the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games fondly. And now he is looking forward to all the excitement and emotion he will experience at Milano Cortina 2026.

"The atmosphere (at Beijing 2022) was different from PyeongChang. Milano Cortina will also be completely different," Andreoni said.

Join the party

Next year, the three players are hoping to showcase their sport to a huge home crowd. Italy has qualified for the eight-team tournament as the host country, and players are currently training in three different locations to prepare for the biggest spectacle.

Spectators will return to the Paralympic Winter Games for the first time since PyeongChang 2018. Andreoni says he is excited to see how people will react when they watch the team play.

"We understand most of what the (spectators) will be saying because, of course, they will be speaking in Italian and not in Czech, Chinese or Korean," Andreoni added.

Macri wants to see people of all generations supporting athletes.

"We want a lot of students, lots of kids, if possible. But not only them. I want to see people; I want to see people who will buy tickets," Macri said. "I want to see people who invest their money for the spectacle of the Italian Para ice hockey team."

"We are, of course, concentrating on what we are doing, but it's a mix of emotions when you know that every single action, every single pass or shot you will do on the ice in front of thousands of people. There will be a consequence.

"It's something that can motivate you because you want to see that consequence. You want to hear that consequence."

What is your vibe?

So why should you be a part of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games? Exciting sports, beautiful landscapes, amazing food, the unique atmosphere – there are so many things to look forward to at the Games, the trio says.

"At the Paralympics, you can see Milano and the Dolomites, two very beautiful places.  So come here, enjoy the race, enjoy your competition," Lanza said. "Our job is also to have a good time. At the Athletes Village maybe we can also eat pizza because we are in Italy."

Italian Paralympians are in the house at the @milanocortina26 1 Year to Go press conference!

Left to Right:
Alessandro Andreoni, Para ice hockey
Simone Barlaam, Para swimming
Martina Caironi, Para athletics
Gabriele Lanza, Para ice hockey
Andrea Macri, Para ice hockey pic.twitter.com/xYOGjGXxmW

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) March 5, 2025

Secure your tickets today

Tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will go on sale to the general public on 6 March. Approximately 89 per cent of the tickets cost EUR 35 or less. For more information, please visit the official ticketing platform (tickets.milanocortina2026.org).