From World Championships to World Cups, events to check out in winter Para sports

From World Championships to World Cup events, the 2023-2024 winter sport season promises to be full of excitement, just two years before the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games take place.

Medallists from the Beijing 2022 Paralympics returned to the slopes last year, as World Cup events in Para alpine skiing and Para snowboarding got underway. In 2024, there will be World Championships in several sports.

Since the beginning of January is the best time to plan the year, don’t forget to check out some of the biggest winter Para sport competitions taking place in 2024.

World Championships to watch

The World Wheelchair Curling Championship will be held in Gangneung, Republic of Korea, between 2 and 9 March, followed by the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship from 10-16 March.

The world’s best wheelchair curlers will return to the Gangneung Curling Centre, which staged the competitions at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. Will reigning Paralympic champions China win their third straight World Championship title in Gangneung? Follow the tournament to find out.

With the mixed doubles tournament set to be staged at the Paralympics for the first time at Milano Cortina 2026, we expect to see an epic battle that fans cannot miss. Last year, Latvia’s pair of Polina Rozkova and Agris Lasmans secured a come-from-behind victory over Pam Wilson and David Samsa of the United States in the final. 

In March, the Para Biathlon World Championships will be held at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club in Prince George, Canada, from 6-10 March. The Worlds will be followed by the Para Nordic World Cup Finals that will take place at the same club from 12-17 March.

Major tournaments to look forward to in Para ice hockey include the 2024 World Para Ice Hockey Championships B-Pool in Skien, Norway from 15-20 April. 

Six teams - Norway, Germany, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, and France - will play for two spots in the A-Pool Worlds in the following season.

The red-hot battle on the slopes

The first Para Alpine Skiing World Cup of 2024 will be held in Veysonnaz, Switzerland from 22 January. There will be a total of eight events over four days of action.

The World Cup will then make a stop in different cities, including Cortina, Italy; Sapporo, Japan; and Hopfgarten, Austria, before the final event takes place in Sella Nevea, Italy, in March.

The 2023-2024 Para Alpine Skiing World Cup season started in St. Moritz, Austria, on 16 December 2023. After two days of competition, France’s Marie Bochet, Austria’s Johannes Aigner and Switzerland’s Robin Cuche took double gold medals to start the season in style. 

The final World Cup of 2023 was held in Steinach am Brenner in Austria.

Para snowboarders have put on an impressive show since the first World Cup took place in November 2023. The Para snowboard World Cup will resume in February in Pyha, Finland.