Milano-Cortina 2026 hosted the 14th edition of the Winter Paralympic Games in spectacular fashion. Around 665 athletes from 55 nations competed across 79 medal events in 6 sports, with a record 160 female competitors. The Games also marked a deeply meaningful anniversary: 50 years since the very first Winter Paralympics were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. Half a century of courage, breaking barriers and proving that disability is never the end of a story.
At these Games, a handful of athletes stood out not for the medals they brought home, but for the mountains they had already climbed just to reach the starting gate. Read the article below to discover some of the highlights from the Winter Paralympics 2026.
Brazil Makes History
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s win during the Olympic Winter Games was not meant to remain Brazilian only “first”. Cristian Westemaier Ribera made sure to write the next chapter of Brazilian winter sport history.
Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Ribera faced more than 20 surgeries in childhood. Sport entered his life as rehabilitation and became a pathway to history. He discovered Para cross-country skiing in 2015, made his Paralympic debut at just 15 years old at PyeongChang 2018, returned to compete in Beijing 2022, and by 2025 had collected four FIS Para Cross-Country World Championship medals.[i]
Then came Milano-Cortina. At only 23 years old, in his third Winter Paralympic Games, Ribera placed second in the men’s sprint sitting discipline, claiming Brazil’s first-ever Winter Paralympic medal.[ii] His medal marked another national historic success at the Games in Milano Cortina.
El Salvador’s First-Ever Winter Paralympians
El Salvador is not exactly known for its ski slopes. Yet at Milano-Cortina 2026, two athletes from that nation did something remarkable: they became El Salvador’s first-ever Winter Paralympians.
David Chavez survived a shooting in 2015 that left him partially paralysed. Rather than retreat, he embraced sport with extraordinary breadth: para cross-country skiing, wheelchair basketball, para surfing, para climbing, and other sports. He saw snow for the very first time only in 2023.[iii]
Like teammate David Chavez, Jonathan Arias survived a shooting between rival gangs that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Together with his teammate he went from a ski simulator, to practising on sand, to accumulating around 100 days on actual snow. Then, before training camp began, injury struck. He spent three months recovering in El Salvador, only learning in mid-February that he had officially qualified. His goal? Not falling and making his way as far to the front as possible.[iv]
Both athletes are coached by Rob Powers, founder of OneTeam El Salvador, and both benefitted from the IPC’s Competition Support Grant.[v] They did not come home with medals but they opened a door that has never been opened before.
Haiti a Winter Sport Nation
And then there was Ralf Etienne. In 2010, Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake buried him in the rubble of a collapsed building which cost him one of his legs. What followed was a life nothing short of remarkable: humanitarian work across Haiti, long hours as an investment banker, moving from the US to London, and weekend flights to Switzerland to train on snow. With only around 80 days on snow in his entire life, Etienne arrived in Italy as Haiti’s first-ever Winter Paralympian and only the second athlete from the Caribbean to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games. Supported by the IPC’s Sport for Mobility programme, he stood at the starting gate of the standing giant slalom and made history for Haiti.[vi]
Celebrating Highlights
The Winter Games are, at their core, a celebration of human possibility. The athletes above did not all stand on the podium but each of them changed what the word “possible” means for their country, their continent, and for every person who will now dare to dream the Olympic dream.
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Sources
[1] International Paralympic Committee. (2026, March 10). Cristian Westemaier Ribera wins Brazil’s first ever Winter Paralympic medal. International Paralympic Committee. https://www.paralympic.org/news/cristian-westemaier-ribera-brazil-winter-medal?_gl=1*1rasp3y*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjEzNTk0MDcxMC4xNzczNjY1NDAz*_ga_EFXW45ME1V*czE3NzM2NjU0MDIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzM2NjU1MDEkajYwJGwwJGg0NjM3ODEzNDc.
[2] International Paralympic Committee. (2026, March 10). Cristian Westemaier Ribera wins Brazil’s first ever Winter Paralympic medal. International Paralympic Committee. https://www.paralympic.org/news/cristian-westemaier-ribera-brazil-winter-medal?_gl=1*1rasp3y*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjEzNTk0MDcxMC4xNzczNjY1NDAz*_ga_EFXW45ME1V*czE3NzM2NjU0MDIkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzM2NjU1MDEkajYwJGwwJGg0NjM3ODEzNDc.
[3] International Paralympic Committee. (2026, 4 February). Para cross-country skier David Chavez chases history for El Salvador. International Paralympic Committee. https://www.paralympic.org/feature/para-cross-country-skier-david-chavez-el-salvador
[4] Schapiro, R. and Acevedo, N. (2026, 7 March). Shot by gang members, these Paralympians are making history. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/paralympics/winter-paralympics-david-chavez-jonathan-arias-skiing-rcna259994
[5] International Paralympic Committee. (2026, 9 March). Milano Cortina 2026: El Salvador makes history in Para cross-country. International Paralympic Committee. https://www.paralympic.org/feature/milano-cortina-2026-el-salvador-history
[6] Falkingham, K. (2026, 13 March). ‘From earthquake rubble to the top of the Dolomites’. BBC Sport. https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/c4g25r1400do
