The 14th Winter Paralympic Games in Italy were opened in Verona, with most athletes absent. The German team, including flag bearer Anna-Lena Forster, watched the ceremony remotely and highlighted team spirit. Several nations boycotted the event in protest against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics took place in the evening in Verona's ancient amphitheater. At 21:19, Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the games open, twelve days after the Olympic Winter Games at the same venue. Only 28 of the 55 participating nations sent athletes on site, including Russia and Belarus. No athletes served as flag bearers; instead, volunteers carried the flags while team videos were shown on screens. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) cited the long distances to the competition venues in Milan and Cortina as the reason.
Anna-Lena Forster, the 30-year-old skier from Freiburg, and para-ice hockey player Jörg Wedde were nominated as flag bearers for the German team. Their video was played during the parade. Forster, who competes in sitting disciplines due to shortened thigh bones, described the absence of athletes as 'weird, somehow also sad.' The four-time Paralympic gold medalist with nine world championship wins and over 40 World Cup successes said: 'If only such a small group marches in, the atmosphere we know doesn't build up, that joyful radiance on the athletes' faces.'
The German team, with 40 athletes and eight guides – the second-largest contingent in history – watched the ceremony together in the German House in Cortina. 'It was nice that we were all together here and experienced it together and some atmosphere built up. That's also good for team spirit,' Forster said. The German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) justified non-participation with a focus on competitions and solidarity with Ukraine. Seven nations boycotted politically: Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine. Canada, Great Britain, Germany, and France stayed away for sporting reasons.
Overall, 611 athletes from 55 countries will compete in six sports over nine days. Iran withdrew its sole starter due to unsafe travel. Forster's first event is downhill on Saturday, aiming for multiple medals supported by routine and mental training.
