Skip to main content

Paralympics Begin

Three athletes in wheelchairs wear red, white, and blue Team USA jackets and smile in front of large American flags.
READY TO COMPETE Wheelchair curling team members enjoy a welcome event in Venice, Italy, on March 1. ELSA—GETTY IMAGES

The Winter Paralympics are underway. The opening ceremony took place in Verona, Italy, on March 6. More than 650 athletes, each with a disability, are competing across 79 events in six sports.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games. The first were held in 1976, in Sweden. Athletes competed in Para alpine and cross-country skiing. These sports are still part of the Paralympics today.

Oksana Masters is the most decorated U.S. Winter Paralympian. She hopes to add to her collection of 14 Winter Games medals. She says sports help her appreciate her body’s strengths. “I want to inspire other people to see that for themselves,” Masters told Olympics.com.