Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games
Milano, Cortina — 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in history with the most ever National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and Para athletes set to compete.
As the Paralympic Winter Games celebrates a special milestone with its 50th anniversary, history will be made when 611 athletes from 55 NPCs will line-up in 79 medal events across six sports. The previous record was 564 athletes from 49 delegations at PyeongChang 2018. When the Winter Games began in Ornskoldsvik in 1976, there were 198 athletes from 16 countries.
Zoran Jovanovski will be the first athlete from North Macedonia to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, competing in para‑alpine skiing.
Zoran Jovanovski’s participation is a historic achievement for Macedonian para‑sport, marking the country’s first ever Winter Paralympic representation in alpine skiing.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics are the largest in history, with 611 athletes from 55 National Paralympic Committees. North Macedonia (with Jovanovski) is among five nations debuting at these Winter Games in para alpine skiing.
The flagbearers for the Closing Ceremony have been announced by the International Paralympic Committee. (While the full list is detailed, North Macedonia’s delegation and participation have been noted in overall announcements.
Around 28 countries confirmed athlete attendance for the Opening Ceremony parade in Verona; the IPC encouraged NPCs to balance in‑person presence with remote engagement due to scheduling and travel considerations.
Some nations, including Ukraine, have chosen to boycott the Closing Ceremony due to broader political reasons, though they competed strongly throughout the Games.
