The 2026 Winter Paralympics begin March 6 in Italy, featuring 78 medal events across five sports over 10 days—all available on NBC and Peacock—in a historic 50th-anniversary Games that celebrates adaptive athletic excellence.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics officially opened March 6 in Verona, Italy, launching a 10-day festival of adaptive sports that runs through March 15. This milestone event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Paralympics, held in 1976, and showcases 78 medal events across alpine skiing, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para snowboard, wheelchair curling, and para ice hockey. With unprecedented U.S. broadcasting support through NBCUniversal and Peacock, fans can follow every moment live—here’s exactly when and how.
Historic Milestone: Why the 2026 Winter Paralympics Matter Beyond the Medals
The 2026 Games represent more than just competition; they mark five decades of growth for the Winter Paralympics movement. What began in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, with 198 athletes from 16 nations has evolved into a premier international event featuring over 600 athletes from more than 45 countries. The Milano Cortina Games continue the legacy of integrating Paralympic venues with Olympic ones, using the same world-class facilities in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo just weeks after the Winter Olympics concluded.
For U.S. audiences, the expanded television and streaming coverage—80 hours across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC, plus 270+ hours on Peacock—reflects a significant investment in Paralympic visibility. The U.S. enters as defending champion in para ice hockey, seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal, while stars like snowboarder Brenna Huckaby and alpine skier Stephanie Jallen aim to add to Team USA’s legacy [1].
When and Where: Dates, Venues, and Time Zone Considerations
The 2026 Winter Paralympics run from Friday, March 6, to Sunday, March 15. The opening ceremony took place at the Verona Olympic Arena in Verona, Italy. Competition unfolds across four venue clusters in Northern Italy, with primary events in Milan (for indoor sports) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (for mountain sports). All schedule times listed are Eastern Time (ET), with events typically starting between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET due to the six-hour time difference from Italy.
Key venues include:
- Cortina d’Ampezzo: Alpine skiing, para snowboard, and para biathlon at the iconic Tofane and Cortina routes.
- Milan: Wheelchair curling at the Milan Ice Park and para ice hockey at the Fiera Forum.
- Valtellina: Para cross-country skiing and biathlon events.
This multi-cluster setup replicates the Olympic model, allowing athletes to compete in purpose-built or retrofitted facilities while showcasing Northern Italy’s winter sports infrastructure [2].
How to Watch Every Event: NBC, Peacock, and Streaming Details
U.S. viewers have extensive live access. NBC, USA Network, and CNBC will broadcast 80 hours of coverage, including a record eight hours on the main NBC channel. The Peacock streaming service offers live and on-demand coverage of every event, making it the most comprehensive Paralympics destination ever for American audiences. Primetime highlight shows air Saturdays, March 7 and 14, at 8 p.m. ET, while the opening ceremony streamed live on Peacock and USA Network at 2 p.m. ET on March 6.
The broadcast plan culminates with live coverage of the para ice hockey gold medal game on March 15 at 11:05 a.m. ET, where Team USA aims for its fifth straight title. For real-time updates and alternate camera angles, the NBC Sports app also provides streaming for authenticated subscribers. International viewers should check local broadcasters or the official Paralympic.org streaming platform.
The Medal Event Schedule: Day-by-Day Breakdown
Below is a concise guide to all 78 medal events, organized by date. The full schedule—including preliminary rounds, training runs, and wheelchair curling round-robin matchups—is managed by the Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee and follows the timeline below [1].
Wednesday, March 4
- 3:30 a.m. & 4:35 a.m.: Alpine skiing downhill training runs (women/men, VI/standing/sitting).
- 1:05 p.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed doubles round robin begins (USA vs. Latvia, Italy vs. South Korea, China vs. Japan, Estonia vs. Great Britain).
Thursday, March 5
- 3:30 a.m. & 4:35 a.m.: Alpine skiing downhill training continues.
- 4:05 p.m. & 1:05 p.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed doubles round robin (multiple sessions).
Friday, March 6
- 2 p.m.: Opening Ceremony in Verona, Italy.
- Throughout day: Wheelchair curling mixed doubles round robin continues.
Saturday, March 7 – First Medal Events
- 3:30 a.m. & 4:50 a.m.: Alpine skiing downhill medal events (women/men, VI/standing/sitting).
- 4 a.m., 6 a.m., 7:15 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 7:50 a.m.: Para biathlon sprint medal events (women/men, sitting/standing/VI).
- 5 a.m. & 6:15 a.m.: Para snowboard cross qualification runs (women SB-LL2; men SB-UL/SB-LL1/SB-LL2).
- 7:15 a.m. onward: Para ice hockey group play begins (Group A: China vs. Germany; Group B: Czechia vs. Japan).
Sunday, March 8
- 4:30 a.m. & 5:50 a.m.: Alpine skiing Super-G medal events (women/men, VI/standing/sitting).
- 5 a.m., 6:10 a.m., 7:10 a.m., 7:30 a.m.: Para biathlon individual medal events (women/men, sitting/standing/VI).
- 7:30 a.m.: Para snowboard cross medal events (women SB-LL2; men SB-UL/SB-LL1/SB-LL2).
Monday, March 9
- 4:30 a.m. & 5:50 a.m.: Alpine skiing combined Super-G (non-medal; sets up combined slalom).
- Throughout day: Wheelchair curling mixed team round robin begins; para ice hockey group play continues.
Tuesday, March 10 – Alpine Combined & Cross-Country Sprint Medals
- 8 a.m. & 8:50 a.m.: Alpine skiing combined slalom medal events (women/men, VI/standing/sitting)—combined champions determined.
- 8:22 a.m., 8:29 a.m., 8:38 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 8:54 a.m., 9:01 a.m.: Para cross-country sprint medal events (women/men, sitting/standing/VI).
- 9:35 a.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed doubles semifinals.
Wednesday, March 11 – Curling Doubles Medals & Ice Hockey Semis
- 9:35 a.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed doubles gold and bronze medal games.
- All day: Para cross-country 10km medal events (sitting/standing/VI).
- 9:35 a.m. & 2:05 p.m.: Para ice hockey semifinals.
Thursday, March 12
- 4 a.m. & 7:30 a.m.: Alpine skiing women’s giant slalom runs (medal event after second run).
- 9:35 a.m. & 2:05 p.m.: Para ice hockey classification games.
- Throughout day: Wheelchair curling mixed team round robin continues.
Friday, March 13 – Biathlon Pursuit & Curling Team Semis
- 7:30 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 8:25 a.m., 8:50 a.m., 9:05 a.m.: Para biathlon sprint pursuit medal events (women/men, sitting/standing/VI).
- 5:05 p.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed team semifinals.
- 9:35 a.m. & 2:05 p.m.: Para ice hockey semifinals (second set).
Saturday, March 14 – Relays, Snowboard, and Curling Team Finals
- 5 a.m. & 6:15 a.m.: Para cross-country relay medal events (mixed 4×2.5km, open 4×2.5km).
- Early morning: Para snowboard banked slalom medal events (women SB-LL2; men SB-UL/SB-LL1/SB-LL2).
- 10:05 a.m.: Wheelchair curling mixed team gold medal game.
- 11:05 a.m.: Para ice hockey 5th-place game.
Sunday, March 15 – Climax and Closing
- 4 a.m. onward: Alpine skiing men’s slalom medal runs; para cross-country 20km medal events (sitting/standing/VI).
- 7:05 a.m. & 11:05 a.m.: Para ice hockey bronze and gold medal games—USA goes for five-peat.
- 3:30 p.m.: Closing Ceremony in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Fan-Centric Context: What to Watch For Beyond the Medal Count
Beyond the schedule, several narrative threads will define these Games:
- Team USA’s Ice Hockey Dynasty: The U.S. men’s and women’s sled hockey teams have dominated since 2010. With veterans like Declan Farmer and emerging stars, the quest for a fifth straight gold raises the bar for Canada and Norway—historic rivals whose matchups in group play could foreshadow the final.
- Adaptive Snowboarding’s Evolution: The SB-LL2 and SB-LL1 classes feature intense competition, with U.S. athletes like Brenna Huckaby (who balances motherhood and elite sport) and Mike Schultz defending titles. The banked slalom on March 14 rewards technical precision over the snowboard cross speed of March 8.
- Alpine Skiing’s Classification Showdown: Visually impaired (VI) skiers racing with guides, standing skiers on one leg, and sitting skiers in monosks—all share the same slopes but are judged within their classifications. Watch for Mollie Jepsen (Canada) and Stephanie Jallen (USA) in the women’s standing events, and the emotional victories in the sitting categories, where athletes like Anna-Lena Forster (Germany) excel.
- Wheelchair Curling’s Tactical Depth: Often called “chess on ice,” the mixed doubles and mixed team events require precise stone placement and sweeping strategy. Team USA’s Pam Wilson and David Samsa in mixed doubles, and the four-person team led by Thyna Cornelio, face tough competition from Canada, Sweden, and host Italy.
Fan speculation swirls around whether the U.S. can sweep para ice hockey again, and if rising stars in para biathlon—like Oleksandra Kononova (Ukraine) in standing events—can dethrone long-time champions. The 50th-anniversary lens adds weight: every story connects to five decades of progress in adaptive sport advocacy and technology.
Why Coverage Matters: Bridging the Visibility Gap
Despite being the second-largest international sporting event after the Olympics, Paralympic coverage has historically been limited in the U.S. NBCUniversal’s commitment—80 broadcast hours and full Peacock streaming—marks a turning point. For context, the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics saw about 80 hours of total U.S. coverage, but this year’s plan distributes events across multiple channels and provides on-demand access, addressing past fan complaints about missed live action.
This expanded access aligns with the International Paralympic Committee’s “WeThe15” campaign, which aims to shift attitudes toward disability. With athletes like Brenna Huckappy balancing parenthood and podium pursuits—covered in a recent Yahoo Sports feature—the human stories resonate beyond medals. The scheduling, with early-morning ET starts, still challenges casual viewers, but Peacock’s on-demand library allows fans to watch at convenience, a critical step for growing the audience.
The Bottom Line: Your Viewing Action Plan
To follow the 2026 Winter Paralympics optimally:
- Peacock is essential: Subscribe for full live and replay access. The NBC Sports app requires cable authentication for some events, but Peacock carries everything.
- Set alerts for Team USA’s marquee events: Para ice hockey (March 13–15), alpine skiing downhill (March 7), and wheelchair curling finals (March 11 and 14).
- Follow official sources: Team USA’s Paralympics page provides athlete bios and real-time results, while the NBC Sports press release details channel listings and streaming times.
- Embrace the early mornings: Most medal events air between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET. Recording or watching highlights later is a practical strategy, but live viewing captures the unfiltered emotion of Paralympic competition.
These Games are not just a sequel to the Olympics; they stand on their own as a testament to human resilience and athletic brilliance. The 50th anniversary underscores how far the movement has come—and how much further it can go with sustained visibility.
For the fastest, most authoritative analysis of every Paralympic moment—from medal races to breakthrough performances—onlytrustedinfo.com delivers real-time insights you won’t find elsewhere. Bookmark our sports desk for continuous coverage throughout the Milano Cortina Games and beyond.
