In March 2026, Para athletes will meet in northern Italy, where a number of resorts are the venues for the Paralympic Winter Games. For the first time, the name of the event includes two cities: Milan – Cortina 2026. The Games are returning to the region after exactly 20 years; Turin hosted the Games in 2006.
This time the Para athletes will compete in Milan, Cortina d´Ampezzo and Predazzo in the 14th Paralympic Winter Games. From 6th to 15th March, more than 600 athletes will take part in 6 sports (Para Alpine Skiing, Para Nordic Skiing, Para Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon, Para Snowboarding, Wheelchair Curling and Para Ice Hockey) and 79 medal disciplines.
In Milan, Slovakia will defend the 6 medals won at Beijing 2022, 3 gold and 3 bronze medals. All of them were won by Para Alpine skiers. Again, this year we will have the chance to see our two visually impaired athletes, Alexandra Rexová and Miroslav Haraus, along with their guides on the slopes.
For the second time in the history of our country we will compete in two collective sports – Para Ice Hockey and Wheelchair Curling. Our Para Ice Hockey players were again successful at the qualifying tournament and after Beijing 2022 they are again amongst the top eight teams in the world. For the fourth time in a row our Wheelchair Curling mixed team has managed to qualify for the Games. They narrowly missed out on a medal at the previous Games and in March they are certainly going to fight for the top positions. It is the curlers who are deservedly depicted on the postage stamp, which was issued to commemorate the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.
After a gap of 12 years, the double cross on the Slovak flag will not only appear at Para Snowboarding but also at Nordic Skiing, which brought us several medals at the turn of the millennium.
In the 16 Games staged since 1994 (8 PG and 8 PWG), Slovak Para athletes have won, under our independent flag, a total of 136 medals, 45 of which were gold, 44 silver and 47 bronze. We believe that at Milan – Cortina 2026 they will expand this collection.
Roman Végh
