Milano Cortina 2026: Introduction to Para alpine skiing

Ready to dive into the thrill of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games?

From 6–15 March 2026, the world’s best athletes will compete for glory in 79 medal events across six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.

Each day, we take a closer look at the six sports featured in the programme and answer all your questions ahead of the Paralympic Games. Today, we’re covering everything you need to know about Para alpine skiing. 

 

 

 

What is Para alpine skiing?

Para alpine skiing is an exciting, technical and daring sport. Athletes race down steep slopes, weaving between gates at speeds over 100 kilometres per hour.

There are five events on the Paralympic programme. Downhill and super-G races focus on speed through steep courses. Giant slalom and slalom are technical events featuring sharp and tight turns. Missing a gate results in disqualification.

In combined alpine events, athletes compete in a single run on either a downhill or super-G and slalom course.

Athletes compete in one of three categories – standing, sitting and vision impaired. Within these three categories, athletes are grouped into sport classes based on the impact of their impairments on their ability to perform tasks and activities fundamental to the sport.  

 

Athletes with vision impairment compete with a sighted guide, who gives verbal cues via a headset. It is a tight collaboration so guides also win medals.  

In the standing category, there are athletes with upper or lower limb impairments, or a combination of both.

In the sitting races, athletes use a sit-ski with a shock absorber that helps with riding on uneven terrain and making turns.

Within each category, a formula is used for each sport class to adjust the raw time in order to get the final factored time and the athlete with the fastest factored time wins.

That means in Para alpine skiing, athletes from different sport classes can share the podium.

 

 

Para alpine skiing at Milano Cortina 2026

Para alpine skiing will feature up to 190 Para athletes who will compete in a total of 30 medal events at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Six Paralympic champions will be crowned on the first day of competition on 7 March.

The 30 medal events at Milano Cortina 2026 are:

Men’s

Speed events

Downhill VI, Downhill Sitting, Downhill Standing

Super-G VI, Super-G Sitting, Super G Standing

Alpine Combined VI, Alpine Combined Sitting, Alpine Combined Standing

 

Technical events

Giant Slalom VI, Giant Slalom Sitting, Giant Slalom Standing

Slalom VI, Slalom Sitting, Slalom Standing

 

Women’s

Speed events

Downhill VI, Downhill Sitting, Downhill Standing

Super-G VI, Super-G Sitting, Super-G Standing

Alpine Combined VI, Alpine Combined Sitting, Alpine Combined Standing

 

Technical events

Giant Slalom VI, Giant Slalom Sitting, Giant Slalom Standing

Slalom VI, Slalom Sitting, Slalom Standing

 

 

Brief history of Para alpine skiing

Para alpine skiing was one of the two sports staged at Ornskoldsvik 1976, the first Paralympic Winter Games. Seventy-eight athletes from 12 countries competed in two disciplines – slalom and giant slalom.

Downhill was added to the Paralympic programme in 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria, while super-G was added on the programme at Lillehammer 1994. Super combined was included as a Paralympic discipline at Vancouver 2010.

Initially only athletes with an amputation and vision impairment were able to compete in Para alpine skiing events at the Paralympic Winter Games. Sit-skiing was introduced as a demonstration sport at Innsbruck 1984, and became an official part of the programme at Nagano 1998.

 

 

Five facts about Para alpine skiing

1. Para alpine skiing competition will take place at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina. The venue’s name comes after Le Tofane, one of the most significant mountain groups in the Eastern Dolomites.

 

2. Twenty-nine countries have won at least one Para alpine skiing medal at the Winter Games. Austria is atop the overall medals table with 94 gold, 93 silver and 93 bronze, followed by the USA with 91 gold, 97 silver and 70 bronze.

3. With 16 titles apiece, Germany’s Gerd Schoenfelder and Reinhild Moeller lead the overall men’s and women’s medals tables, respectively, in Para alpine skiing. This month, Schoenfelder explained everything you need to know about the sport.

 

4. At Ornskoldsvik 1976, the first Paralympic Winter Games, Switzerland topped the medals tally with nine gold medals. Heinz Moser and Irene Moillen each won three medals.

5. Austria’s Aigner siblings won an impressive four gold, three silver and two bronze medals at Beijing 2022. The siblings, Johannes, Veronika and Barbara, along with guide and sister Elisabeth, helped Austria finish at the top of the Para alpine skiing medals tally.

Find out what they said about their goals at Milano Cortina 2026. 

 

 

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