2026 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony

2026 Winter Paralympics
opening ceremony
Part of 2026 Winter Paralympics
Date6 March 2026; 6 days ago (2026-03-06)
Time20:00 CET
LocationVerona, Italy
Filmed byOlympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics took place on 6 March 2026. Entitled "Life in Motion", the ceremony was held in the Verona Arena.

Preparations

The ceremony was produced by Filmmaster Group [it] and led by artistic director Alfredo Accatino, who also oversaw the Winter Olympics' closing ceremony at Verona Arena.[1]

Ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, the Verona Arena underwent a refurbishment in order to modernize aspects of its facilities. Part of this work included temporary accessibility enhancements in order to accommodate the Paralympics, including adjustments to seating areas, and the inclusion of ramps and lifts. Organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated that while some of these changes had been criticized for their modifications to the historic amphitheatre, "The decision to stage the opening ceremony in the [Verona Arena] is not just an aesthetic one although, of course, we like to showcase such a beauty. But it was also an idea, to make the arena accessible and not only the arena itself but the entire route from the railway station to the venue."[2][3]

Proceedings

The opening ceremony included performances and appearances by both disabled and able-bodied artists, including:[4][5][6]

  • Drummers Elisa "Helly" Montin, Stewart Copeland, and Cornel Hrisca-Munn
  • Performance artist and choreographer Chiara Bersani
  • Model Carlotta Bertotti
  • Singers Mimì Caruso, Ginevra Nervi, and the Alpine choir from Verona, who sang the Italian national anthem
  • DJ Michele Specchiale, aka Miky Bionic
  • Cellist Valentina Irlando
  • Musician and producer Dardust
  • Dancer Marco Galli

Parade of Nations

Main article: 2026 Winter Paralympics Parade of Nations

A number of delegations did not send their athletes to the opening ceremony; some of these absences were for logistical reasons due to the distance of Verona from the two main host cities (Verona is 250 kilometres (160 mi) from Cortina d'Ampezzo). A number of teams additionally boycotted the opening ceremony in protest of the IPC allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, including Austria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Ukraine. The European Commission also boycotted the ceremony.[7][8][9][10] Organisers stated that all participating National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) would still be featured in the parade of nations regardless of athlete presence, with volunteer flag bearers and video packages being used to represent NPCs which could not attend.[10]

A few hours before the opening ceremony started, Iran withdrew from the opening ceremony and Paralympics altogether, citing travel safety concerns for Aboulfazl Khatibi.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Triple stage spectacle for Milano Cortina". Inside the Games. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  2. ^ MacInnes, Paul (26 November 2025). "Roman amphitheatre older than Colosseum gets accessible facelift for Winter Paralympics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Arena di Verona enters inclusion era". Inside the Games. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games open with stunning ceremony". International Paralympic Committee. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  5. ^ Oda, Laura A. (6 March 2026). "Photos: The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics opening ceremony". East Bay Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  6. ^ Mandala, Andrea; Za, Valentina (6 March 2026). "Games open in Verona with calls for unity amid wars and athlete absences". Reuters. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  7. ^ MacInnes, Paul (5 March 2026). "Seven countries to boycott Paralympics ceremony over flag-flying Russians". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse officials uit protest niet naar openingsceremonie Paralympische Spelen". nos.nl (in Dutch). 24 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  9. ^ MacInnes, Paul (28 February 2026). "Winter Paralympics walks tightrope as Russia's inclusion risks ceremony boycott". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  10. ^ a b "More nations skip Milano Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony as boycott grows". Reuters. 27 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Iran withdraws from Milan Cortina Paralympics due to safety concerns". MSN News. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Winter_Paralympics_opening_ceremony