A guide to the six sports at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics

"With more than 600 Para athletes and 79 sets of medals to be awarded, Milan Cortina will feature a record number of athletes and medals. They will compete across six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling."

"In the skiing sports—Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing—athletes compete in one of three categories: standing, sitting (on a sit-ski or monoski) or vision impaired (who race following a guide connected via radio). Guides also receive medals. Within each of these three categories skiers compete in different divisions depending on their functional ability."

"Para alpine skiing, introduced at the first Winter Paralympics in 1976, includes five events: slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill and super combined. There are 30 medal events—15 for men and 15 for women."

The 2024 Winter Paralympics officially begin with an opening ceremony in Verona, Italy, marking a record-breaking event with more than 600 Para athletes competing for 79 medal sets. Competition spans six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard, and wheelchair curling. In skiing disciplines, athletes compete within three categories: standing, sitting (using specialized sit-skis or monoskis), and vision impaired (guided by radio-connected guides who also receive medals). Within each category, athletes compete in divisions based on functional ability, with a results calculation system determining factored times to allow fair competition across divisions. Para alpine skiing, introduced in 1976, includes five events with 30 total medal opportunities.

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