What Sports Are In The Winter Paralympics?

The Winter Paralympics programme brings together a tightly focused set of Paralympic winter sports, each adapted to different impairment categories and contested at the highest international level. While smaller in number than the Olympic Winter Games, these events represent the core of elite winter para sport and form the competitive backbone of the Paralympic Games.

Across the Games, athletes compete in the following Winter Paralympic sports:

Para ice hockey - the fastest and most physical Winter Paralympic event, played by athletes with lower-body impairments on specially designed sledges
Para alpine skiing - featuring speed and technical disciplines adapted across standing, sitting, and visually impaired classifications
Para biathlon - combining cross-country skiing with precision shooting, using acoustic targeting systems for visually impaired athletes
Para cross-country skiing - the endurance cornerstone of the Winter Paralympics, contested across multiple distances and classifications
Para snowboard - a head-to-head and time-based discipline that has rapidly grown since its Paralympic debut
Wheelchair curling - a tactical, mixed-gender team sport contested without sweeping, placing emphasis on strategy and precision

Para Ice Hockey

Para ice hockey is ice hockey on sledges, played by athletes with lower-body impairments. It's fast, full-contact, and nearly identical to Olympic ice hockey, but players sit on double-blade sledges and use two sticks to push, steer, and shoot.

Para Ice Hockey Gear and Classification

Matches are played in three 15-minute periods with six players on the ice per team, including a goalie. Players use upper-body strength and two sticks to move and shoot from sledges, with pucks reaching speeds over 100 km/h.

Teams are officially mixed gender, though most players are men. All athletes compete in a single open class and must have a lower-body impairment. Para ice hockey follows most standard ice hockey rules, with a few key adaptations: body checking is allowed, and offside and icing rules apply.

Para ice hockey made its Paralympic debut at Lillehammer 1994; teams mainly qualify through the World Para Ice Hockey Championships.

Leading Nations in Para Ice Hockey

The United States has dominated Paralympic ice hockey in recent years, winning gold at the last four Winter Games (2010 through 2022). Canada won gold in 2006 and has medalled consistently (silver in 2018 and 2022, bronze in 2014). Other strong teams include Norway and Sweden.

Notable athletes in Para ice hockey include Steve Cash of the USA, an iconic goaltender who backstopped his team to multiple golds, and Billy Bridges of Canada, a six-time Paralympian and high-scoring forward regarded as one of the sport's all-time greats.

Para Alpine Skiing

Para alpine skiing is downhill ski racing for athletes with physical or visual impairments. Competitors reach speeds near 100 km/h in events like slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and alpine combined, using adapted equipment or guides to navigate steep, gate-lined courses.

Para Alpine Skiing Equipment And Classification

First appearing in the inaugural 1976 Paralympic Winter Games, athletes race individually down gated courses, aiming for the fastest time. Depending on classification, they compete standing with outriggers, seated in sit-skis, or with a guide if visually impaired.

Events are split into men's and women's categories across three classes, standing, sitting, and visually impaired, with results adjusted by a factored timing system. Around 30 medals are awarded each Games.

Races follow the same core rules as Olympic alpine skiing, including course inspection (where athletes preview the course layout at low speed), gate clearance, and disqualification for missed gates or falls. The winner is the skier with the fastest adjusted time after applying the classification factor.

Leading Nations in Para Alpine Skiing

Austria is historically the most successful country. Recent podium leaders include Russia (2014), Slovakia and France (2018), and Austria and China (2022). Other strong teams include Germany, the US and Switzerland.

Notable athletes include Gerd Schönfelder of Germany (16 golds) and Reinhild Möller of Germany (16 golds).

Para Biathlon

Para biathlon is a winter sport combining cross-country skiing and target shooting for athletes with physical or visual impairments. Competitors race over snow and stop at shooting stations; missed shots result in time or distance penalties.

Para Biathlon Events

Athletes compete in sitting, standing, and visually impaired categories. Sit-skiers race on sleds using poles; standing athletes may use prosthetics or ski on one leg; visually impaired skiers race with a guide and shoot using acoustic rifles. Events are raced over 7.5km to 12.5km dependent on event.

Races follow standard biathlon formats: athletes alternate between skiing laps and shooting rounds, with the goal of finishing with the fastest adjusted time. Each missed target results in either a fixed time penalty (usually 1 minute) or a penalty loop, depending on the event.

Biathlon debuted in 1988 and expanded to include visually impaired athletes in 1992 and women in 1994. Around 18 medal events are contested, with results using a factoring system within each category.

Leading Nations in Para Biathlon

Russia leads the medal table, while Germany and Ukraine have also emerged as consistent top performers. Notable athletes include Vitaliy Lukyanenko (Ukraine, 8 golds) and Verena Bentele (Germany, 5 biathlon golds).

Para Cross Country Skiing

Para cross-country skiing is an endurance snow sport where athletes with physical or visual impairments race using classic or skate-ski techniques. Skate skiing involves pushing skis out to the side in a motion similar to ice skating for greater speed. Athletes compete in sitting, standing, or visually impaired categories using adapted equipment or guides, across distances from short sprints to 20 km.

Para Cross Country Skiing Classification and Events

Cross-country skiing has been in the Paralympics since 1976 with sit-ski introduced in 1994. Competitors are grouped into three classes: sitting, standing, and visually impaired. Sitting skiers use sit-skis, sled-like frames mounted on skis, and propel themselves using poles. Visually impaired skiers race with a sighted guide who provides continuous verbal direction.

Events range from fast-paced sprints (1 km) to long-distance races (up to 20 km), with separate races for men and women, and a mixed gender relay. Approximately 20 medal events are awarded at each Paralympic Winter Games.

For fairness, a factoring system adjusts times based on classification to account for varying levels of impairment. Visually impaired skiers and guides function as a team and are both awarded medals.

Leading Nations in Para Cross Country Skiing

Norway and Russia have dominated historically. In 2018, China dominated with 7 golds and 18 total medals.

Brian McKeever (Canada, 16 golds), and Ragnhild Myklebust (Norway, 16 golds) are legendary cross-country Paralympians.

Para Snowboard

Para snowboard is a timed snow race for athletes with physical impairments. Riders compete in three disciplines: snowboard cross, which involves jumps and turns on a downhill course, and banked slalom (single and dual), where athletes race solo through tight, banked curves.

Para Snowboard Classification

Para snowboard debuted at the 2014 Paralympics with snowboard cross for men and women, and expanded in 2018 to include banked slalom and multiple classification events. Riders compete solo or head-to-head in two main disciplines: snowboard cross, a race down a course with jumps, rollers, and turns, and banked slalom, a timed run through a winding course of banked curves.

There are three classifications: SB-LL1 (severe leg impairment), SB-LL2 (milder leg impairment), and SB-UL (arm impairments). Athletes ride standard snowboards, often adapted with prosthetics, orthotics, or custom bindings to suit their limb impairments.

Each rider is allowed multiple timed runs, with their best run used for ranking. In snowboard cross, heats may be timed or direct elimination rounds, depending on the field size and safety considerations. False starts, missed gates, or leaving the course can result in disqualification. Riders must maintain control throughout the course; falling and failing to finish means no result for that run. The Paralympic programme typically includes 8-10 medal events across different classifications and disciplines, with separate events for men and women where entry numbers allow.

Leading Nations in Para Snowboard

Brenna Huckaby of the United States leads the field with three gold medals, while Finland's Matti Suur-Hamari follows with two, making them the most decorated para snowboarders.

Wheelchair Curling

Wheelchair curling is a team ice sport where athletes with lower-limb impairments slide stones toward a target from stationary wheelchairs, with no sweeping allowed. It follows standard curling rules but emphasizes shot accuracy and strategy due to the absence of sweeping.

Wheelchair Curling Equipment and Rules

Debuted at the 2006 Winter Paralympics, wheelchair curling is played by mixed-gender teams of four, with at least one female on the ice. Athletes deliver 20kg granite stones using a delivery stick, a long pole that attaches to the stone's handle, while seated in a stationary wheelchair. The chair is often stabilized by a teammate during delivery to ensure accuracy.

Unlike Olympic curling, no sweeping is allowed, so precision and strategy are key. Games are played over eight ends, with teams alternating turns to deliver stones. Each player throws two stones per end, and scoring follows standard curling rules: only one team scores per end, earning points for each stone closer to the centre ("button") than the opponent's nearest stone.

Stones must be released before the near hog line and stay within the boundaries of play. Tactics such as guarding, drawing, and take-outs are central to gameplay. Athletes must also comply with rules ensuring that their delivery originates from a stationary wheelchair positioned correctly within the throwing area.

Wheelchair Curling Mixed Doubles

The Paralympics currently feature one wheelchair curling event: a mixed team tournament with four players per side. Mixed doubles wheelchair curling will make its debut at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games, with teams consisting of one male and one female athlete.

The game is faster-paced than traditional team curling, with fewer stones per end and shorter matches. Mixed doubles has been part of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship programme since 2022 and is expected to bring a new level of intensity and visibility to the sport at the Paralympic level.

Leading Nations in Wheelchair Curling

Canada dominated the early years of Paralympic wheelchair curling, claiming gold in 2006, 2010, and 2014, and adding bronze medals in both 2018 and 2022. More recently, China has emerged as the new powerhouse, winning back-to-back golds in 2018 and 2022.

Standout athletes include Sonja Gaudet, a three-time Paralympic champion and key figure in Canada's curling legacy, and Wang Haitao, skip of the Chinese team and a two-time gold medallist.

Watch the Winter Paralympics

Fans can stream the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics live and free on Eurovision Sport, with full coverage of every session across all major events.