FIS hails record participation and competitiveness of Winter Paralympics

Milano Cortina 2026 were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held since the transfer of governance of Para Alpine, Para Cross-Country and Para Snowboard from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to FIS in July 2022.

In the close-to-four years since, the three disciplines have grown in terms of participation worldwide, and competitiveness. This has been reflected in record numbers of participating National Ski Associations (NSAs), and nations winning medals.

A total of 54 NSAs were represented across Para Alpine, Para Cross-Country and Para Snowboard at Milano Cortina, five more than the previous record. In Para Alpine alone, that figure was 43 nations (up from 39) with 32 (up from 26) in Para Cross-Country, and 30 (up from 26) in Para Snowboard.

In Para Alpine, athletes from 19 nations won medals, equalling the number from Lillehammer 1994 and PyeongChang 2018. Skiers from 16 nations collected medals in Para Cross-Country, matching the figure from 1994, Nagano 1998, and Salt Lake City 2002. And in Para Snowboard, medals were awarded to athletes from 10 different nations, the same as when the discipline made its standalone Games debut in 2018.

In Para Cross-Country, athletes from all 15 classes of impairment won medals in the three categories of Vision Impaired, Standing, and Sitting. In Para Alpine, 15 out of the 19 classes represented ended up on the podium in the same three categories. In Para Snowboard, the three categories of Upper Limb, Lower Limb 1 and Lower Limb 2 exactly corresponded to the impairment with Women’s LL1 subsumed within LL2.

Lazarovski reserved special praise for the three Race Directors - Para Alpine RD Anja Skutelj, Para Cross-Country RD Georg Zipfel, and Para Snowboard RD Alex Andreis - and Race Director Coordinator Bostjan Anderlic, who had to deal with weather and snow conditions that were at times less than ideal.

“We delivered competitions that truly reflected the values and standards of FIS,” he said. “The work of our juries set an exceptional benchmark: two protests and only one appeal, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

“In an environment as complex and demanding as the Paralympic Winter Games, this is not only a statistic - it is a statement of quality, trust, and professionalism.”

While significant progress has been made in classification, more is planned before the French Alps 2030 Games. This includes the next phase of development of Physical Impairment Classification scheduled for 2028.

“While we should take pride in what we have accomplished, we must also remember something important: this is not the end of the journey,” added Lazarovski. “It is the beginning of the next Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

“The foundation has been built. The standards have been set. The future now depends on how boldly we continue to develop our sports, support our athletes, and expand the global reach of Para Snowsports.”