The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games took place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, from March 6 to March 15, marking the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics. Taking place just one week after the 2026 Winter Olympics, the event showcased the talent of 611 athletes from 55 nations. The competition was held across the following sports: Para ice hockey, para cross-country skiing, para biathlon, para snowboard, para alpine skiing, and wheelchair curling.
Team China dominated the competition, finishing as the most successful team overall, with 44 total medals, including 15 gold. The United States placed second with 24 medals, including 13 gold. The host country, Italy, came in fifth, with 16 medals and seven gold, marking a new record for the country. Canada finished sixth overall, earning medals across all sports. Canadian athletes secured two gold and two silver in biathlon, one gold in wheelchair curling—their first gold medal since 2014—five medals in alpine skiing, three in cross-country skiing, a silver in para ice hockey, and a bronze in para alpine.
Canadian athletes shone on the international stage, with 30 leaving the Games with at least one medal. Para Nordic skier Natalie Wilkie led the Canadian team with four medals—two gold, one silver, and one bronze—solidifying her status as one of the country’s standout athletes. She also became the first athlete to carry the Canadian flag at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.
Alongside Wilkie were Kalle Eriksson, guide Sierra Smith, and Mark Arendz as Canada’s four multi-medallists. Arendz became a 14-time Paralympic medallist, making him one of Canada’s most successful para Nordic skiers.
Ina Forrest is now the most decorated wheelchair curler in the world, while also standing as Canada’s oldest medalist at the age of 63. Meanwhile, Mathieu Lelièvre became Canada’s youngest Paralympian to win a medal in Para ice hockey, showcasing Canada’s promising new generation of athletes. In total, nine athletes earned their first-ever Paralympic medals, eight of whom were competing at their first Games.
Despite these achievements, the Paralympics continue to receive significantly less media coverage than the Olympics; events were not aired during prime time, and many games were only available on streaming platforms or online.
The coverage of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games reached 30.5 million viewers in Canada across English and French television networks. In contrast, only 10 million viewers tuned in to the Paralympics across the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and ICI TÉLÉ—a gap reflecting a broader trend. Similarly, in 2024, the Summer Paralympic Games counted 193.6 million viewers compared with the five billion who tuned in for the Olympic Games. These discrepancies in viewership reveal a persistent lack of equity in media coverage between Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Even when Paralympic athletes receive media coverage, they are subject to stereotypes. Their achievements are viewed as extraordinary, and in recent years, they have been coined as ‘superhuman,’ recognized for continually breaking records in sports despite their disabilities, rather than simply for their achievements.
Additionally, media organizations tend to spotlight athletes who use advanced technology, such as blade prosthetics. This focus reinforces the portrayal of Paralympians as almost cyborg-like. It also places athletes who use technology for their sport at the centre of the media because it is seen as unique, while those without access to such equipment or whose impairments do not involve it remain overlooked.
In turn, the Paralympics become a show of technology rather than athleticism. This framing diminishes the athletes’ accomplishments and reduces them to stories of overcoming disability. Journalists and media networks alike must provide the same standard coverage to Paralympic athletes as they do for others, while avoiding harmful stereotypes. Simultaneously, viewers must challenge these narratives and support Paralympians, as they are athletes just like every other.