Milan Cortina Paralympics finish with boycott by Ukraine at Games marked by Russia’s return

Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics – Closing Ceremony – Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – March 15, 2026. Volunteers parading flags within the athletes parade in the course of the closing ceremony. Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/Reuters

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — A closing ceremony boycotted by Ukraine signaled the top of the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics on Sunday, hours after the U.S. Para ice hockey crew received the ultimate gold medal of the Games that had been marked by the return of the Russian flag and nationwide anthem to the worldwide sports activities stage.

China continued its dominance as a Paralympic powerhouse and topped the medals desk with 15 golds, two greater than the United States, which matched its whole from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The Milan Cortina Games marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Winter Paralympics.

READ MORE: The 2026 Winter Paralympics have begun. Here are the 6 sports activities athletes are competing in

The Russian anthem, which hadn’t performed on the Paralympics in additional than a decade, rang out eight instances at Milan Cortina after the victories of Russian athletes who had been competing below their very own flag once more on the Paralympics for the primary time for the reason that 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Ukraine led the boycott of each the opening and shutting ceremonies to protest the presence of the Russians. It accused the International Paralympic Committee of discrimination in opposition to its athletes all through the Games. The IPC mentioned Ukraine appeared to attempt to politicize the occasion.

The Milan Cortina Paralympics started lower than per week after the United States and Israel launched a navy assault on Iran. Para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi, the solely Iranian set to compete, needed to withdraw as a result of he couldn’t journey safely to Italy. Para skier Sheina Vaspi was the solely athlete from Israel who competed.

The Paralympic Games had been again in Italy 20 years after being held in Turin. It was the 14th version of the Winter Paralympics for the reason that inaugural version in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, in 1976.

Russia’s return

The Russian flag made its official return on the opening ceremony in Verona, and its nationwide anthem was performed for the primary time at these Games after Para alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina received gold final Monday.

The anthem had not been heard at any Olympics or Paralympics for the reason that 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games.

READ MORE: Milan Cortina Olympics most-watched Winter Games since 2014

Russian athletes had been again competing below their very own flag within the Winter Paralympics after years of getting to take action as impartial athletes due to the nation’s doping violations and navy conflicts.

The return of the Russian flag and anthem was seen by some as a sign of a attainable full-fledged return to Olympic circles forward of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Chinese dominance

After topping each Summer Paralympics since 2004, China once more completed first within the medals desk on the Winter Paralympics. Russia was third with eight gold medals.

China received 44 medals in whole, 20 greater than the Americans.

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Host Italy led to fourth place with seven gold medals, the identical as Austria the place siblings Veronika and Johannes Aigner dominated Para alpine snowboarding.

Top athletes

Veronika Aigner was one in every of three athletes with 4 gold medals, together with American Para cross-country skiers Oksana Masters and Jake Adicoff. Masters, the most adorned American Winter Paralympian, received a bronze along with her 4 gold medals. Adicoff is the first out homosexual American male Winter Paralympic champion.

Record Games

Milan Cortina marked the largest Winter Paralympics ever with a complete of 611 Para athletes from 55 nations, surpassing the earlier report of 564 Para athletes from 48 international locations in 2018.

A report variety of feminine Para athletes competed for the fourth straight Paralympic Winter Games, the IPC mentioned. There had been 160 feminine rivals at Milan Cortina, 24 greater than the earlier report on the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

READ MORE: Your 2026 Winter Olympics information: Everything to know in regards to the Milan-Cortina Games

A complete of 27 nations received medals throughout 79 medal occasions in six sports activities, the best variety of international locations to win at the very least one medal at a Paralympic Winter Games for the reason that 1994 Lillehammer Games.

The IPC mentioned Milan Cortina was probably the most extensively broadcast Paralympic Winter Games in historical past with 20 media rights holders broadcasting the Games to a report 126 international locations.

Curling stones

Even earlier than the Milan Cortina Games started, curling was rocked by one other scandal when two stones went lacking on the Curling Olympic Stadium that hosted Sunday’s closing ceremony. The incident got here a few weeks after the game was within the headlines in the course of the Olympics because the Canadian crew was accused of dishonest.

Warm climate

The heat climate performed a task at Milan Cortina, with excessive temperatures forcing organizers to alter the schedule of some occasions. Athletes had been seen competing in shorts, T-shirts and tank tops.

Heavy snow arrived solely Sunday, and it prompted the delay of some races as nicely.

Next Games

The French Alps will host the 2030 Winter Paralympic Games.

IPC President Andrew Parsons mentioned there are talks about including extra sports activities to these Games, together with skating and sliding disciplines. He mentioned there’s additionally the chance so as to add different incapacity teams resembling intellectually impaired athletes.