Milano Cortina 2026: Ones to watch in wheelchair curling

Wheelchair curling action kicks off early at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games on 4 March, two days before the Opening Ceremony at the Arena di Verona. The tactical sport requires immense accuracy while sliding heavy granite stones down the ice to get as close as possible to the centre of the “house”.  

Two medal events will be staged at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium – a mixed team event and the mixed doubles, which makes its Paralympic debut. 

Here are 10 wheelchair curlers to watch out for: 

Haitao Wang (China)  

China’s mixed team is going for a golden hat trick at Milano Cortina 2026. Haitao Wang skipped the team to victory four years ago in the Beijing 2022 gold medal match against Sweden. He also led the team to China’s first-ever Winter Paralympic gold at PyeongChang 2018, beating Norway. 

Gil Dash (Canada)  

Canada is the only nation to have medalled in wheelchair curling at each Paralympic Winter Games and two decades ago they topped the podium at Torino 2006. The victory in Italy was the beginning of a hat trick of gold.  This year’s team hopes to live up to that proud legacy. Canada’s skip Gil Dash led the team to a bronze at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in 2025.  

Hugh Nibloe (Great Britain)   

It will be Hugh Nibloe’s third Winter Paralympic berth and he is ready to dazzle on ice in the mixed team event. In March last year, he was part of a silver medal-winning outfit outclassed by Japan in the mixed doubles final at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship.

Viljo Petersson-Dahl (Sweden)    

Sweden’s skip Viljo Petersson-Dahl led his team to a silver medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics. The team ranked fourth at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in 2024 and 2023. 

Yoji Nakajima (Japan)  

Yoji Nakajima competed at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, finishing outside the podium. He will compete at Milano Cortina 2026 as the reigning world champion in the mixed doubles, after winning his maiden world title in Stevenston, Scotland, in 2025.

Monika Kunkelova (Slovakia)   

A veteran of three Winter Paralympic Games, Monika Kunkelova’s team lost out to Canada for a bronze medal at Beijing 2022. At Milano Cortina, the team is hoping for all their training and preparation pay off. 

Angela Menardi (Italy) 

Angela Menardi originally competed in Para cross- country skiing at the Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympics in France. Switching to wheelchair curling, she was part of the Italian team at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. 

Polina Rozkova (Latvia)  

Polina Rozkova was the only female skip among the 11 teams at Beijing 2022. She is a dual summer and winter athlete who represented her country in wheelchair fencing at the Rio 2016 Games. Rozkova was part of the victorious mixed doubles team at the 2023 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. 

Katlin Riidebach (Estonia)  

Kaitlin Riidebach was part of a mixed doubles duo that won a surprise bronze at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in 2025. She made her Paralympic debut at Beijing 2022.

Laura Dwyer (USA)  

Laura Dwyer will pull on the Team USA uniform at Milano Cortina and will compete in the mixed doubles debut tournament. She and partner Stephen Emt won the USA Curling Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Nationals last year. 

Discover more about wheelchair curling and other sports on the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic programme

Secure your tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games  

Milano Cortina 2026, which takes place from 6-15 March 2026, is set to be the most beautiful Paralympic Winter Games yet. Ticket prices start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with approximately 89 per cent of the tickets available for EUR 35 or less.

For more information, please visit tickets.milanocortina2026.org