Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games

6 - 15 March

Milano Cortina 2026: Best photos of the Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony of Milano Cortina 2026 recreated an Italian winter wonderland as Para athletes from among the 55 participating National Paralympic Committees paraded through the stadium 15 Mar 2026

A man in a white jacket carries the Italian flag

Emanuel Perathoner, the Para snowboarder who won two gold medals on his Paralympic debut, carries the Italian flag

ⒸMattia Ozbot/Getty Images

By Alison Ratcliffe | For the IPC

Italy staged one last party to farewell the Para athletes who shone on the slopes and ice at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Paralympians gathered at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Titled ‘Italian Souvenir’, the Closing Ceremony, presented by artistic director Angelo Bonello and creative director Francesco Paolo Conticello, showcased an explosion of emotion and energy.

Here are the best images of the scintillating wintery celebration.

A woman in a wintery costume plays the cello — Formisanoff, an Italian-Bulgarian cellist and composer who was responsible for the Closing Ceremony's music, performs in a show-stopping wintery gown @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

A group of performers with small light globes — Dergin Tokmak, a German dancer from the Cirque du Soleil, leads performers at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

A man and a woman with the Chinese flag — China's flagbearers, multi-medallist biathlete Jiayun Cai and wheelchair curling gold medallist Meng Wang. China topped the medal table at Milano Cortina 2026 @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

A male dancer in white using crutches — German dancer Dergin Tokmak of the Cirque du Soleil @Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images for IPC

Performers surround a giant snow globe displaying a scene of Milano — A giant snow globe representing scenes from Milan and Cortina Maja @Hitij/Getty Images

A man in green carries the Haitian flag — Para alpine skier Ralf Etienne bears the flag of Haiti, one of five nations that made their Winter Paralympic debuts at Milano Cortina 2026. Since losing his leg in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Etienne has become an unofficial ambassador for his country. @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

A man and a woman among simulated clouds — Performers amongst fog, representing a timeless and placeless limbo. It’s the mountain, the snow, the clouds… it’s the athletes’ dream. @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

A man and a woman in sombreros — Para alpine skier Arly Aristides Velasquez Peñ Aloza of Mexico enters the stadium @OIS/IOC

Performers in white wave illuminated ropes under floodlight beams — Performers' bodies and threads of light intertwine in dynamic and evolving movement, representing teamwork @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

Three men hold the Paralympic flag — In a symbolic handover to the French Alps 2030, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, presents the Paralympic flag to the Presidents of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes regions, Renaud Muselier and Fabrice Pannekoucke @Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images