Winter Paralympics
Celebrating elite winter para athletes and unforgettable sporting moments from around the world, the Winter Paralympics unites innovation, inspiration, and international competition at the highest level.
What is Winter Paralympics?
The Winter Paralympics is the pinnacle event for elite athletes with physical disabilities in winter sport, showcasing world class performances in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, para ice hockey and more. Find out what the different sports are here.
First held in 1976, the Winter Paralympics now takes place every four years, and in modern editions, takes place shortly after the Winter Olympic Games, and is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, IPC.
Winter Paralympics Host Cities
Here's a look at the Winter Paralympics hosts from 1988 onwards.
| Year | Host | Medal Table Top 3 Nations |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Innsbruck, Austria | Norway, Austria, West Germany |
| 1992 | Tignes Albertville, France | United States, Germany, Unified Team |
| 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | Norway, Germany, United States |
| 1998 | Nagano, Japan | Norway, Germany, United States |
| 2002 | Salt Lake City, United States | Germany, United States, Norway |
| 2006 | Turin, Italy | Russia, Germany, Ukraine |
| 2010 | Vancouver, Canada | Germany, Russia, Canada |
| 2014 | Sochi, Russia | Russia, Germany, Canada |
| 2018 | Pyeongchang, South Korea | United States, Canada, France (Neutral Paralympic Athletes' Medals are listed separately) |
| 2022 | Beijing, China | China, Ukraine, Canada |
| 2026 | Milano Cortina, Italy | TBD |
| 2030 | French Alps | TBD |
| 2034 | Utah, United States | TBD |
First Winter Paralympic Games
The inaugural Winter Paralympic Games were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden in 1976, marking the beginning of a new era for elite winter sport for athletes with disabilities.
A total of 198 athletes from 16 countries competed. From the very first edition, women took part alongside men in both sports on the programme, competing in separate medal events within their respective classification categories.
The 1976 programme included:
- Alpine skiing
- Cross country skiing
At the time, the Games were primarily open to athletes with amputations and visual impairments. Over the decades, the Winter Paralympics has expanded to include a wider range of impairment categories and additional sports such as para ice hockey and wheelchair curling.
The roots of the Paralympic movement trace back to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. In 1948, Dr Ludwig Guttmann organised the Stoke Mandeville Games for injured World War II veterans. These competitions, held on the same day as the London Olympic Games opening ceremony, laid the foundation for what would become the Paralympic Games.
Today, many editions of the Winter Paralympics include a heritage flame lighting at Stoke Mandeville, recognising it as the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic movement and honouring its role in transforming rehabilitation sport into elite international competition.
Since 1976, the Winter Paralympic programme has grown significantly:
- Para biathlon was added in 1988 in Innsbruck
- Para ice hockey was introduced in 1994 in Lillehammer
- Wheelchair curling made its debut in 2006 in Turin
- Para snowboard was added in 2014 in Sochi
Recap of the Beijing 2022 Paralympics
The 2022 Winter Paralympics took place in Beijing, China from 4 to 13 March 2022 and featured 78 medal events across six sports:
- Para Alpine Skiing
- Para Biathlon
- Para Cross Country Skiing
- Para Ice Hockey
- Para Snowboard
- Wheelchair Curling
Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics Medal Table
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - China | 18 | 20 | 23 | 61 |
| 2 - Ukraine | 11 | 10 | 8 | 29 |
| 3 - Canada | 8 | 6 | 11 | 25 |
China delivered a historic home performance, topping the medal table for the first time in its Winter Paralympic history with 61 medals in total. China only earned its first ever Winter Paralympics medal at the previous edition in Pyeongchang with a gold medal in wheelchair curling. The host nation secured dominant results in para alpine skiing and para cross country skiing.
Ukraine produced one of the most remarkable campaigns of the Games, finishing second overall with 11 gold medals and excelling in para biathlon and para cross country skiing.
Canada continued its strong Winter Paralympic tradition, earning medals across multiple disciplines including para ice hockey and para cross country skiing, in which they won 5 gold medals.
Beijing 2022 further cemented the Winter Paralympics as one of the most compelling events in international sport.
Watch Paralympics on Eurovision Sport
Fans can follow the Winter Paralympics live and free on Eurovision Sport, subject to broadcast restrictions.
Discover more winter sport and Paralympic coverage now on Eurovision Sport.