Unseasonably warm temperatures have turned snow slushy at the ongoing 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics in Italy, frustrating competitors who have raced in shorts and T-shirts while raising safety issues. The International Olympic Committee is eyeing earlier dates for future Winter Games to ensure better conditions.
The Paralympics, which opened March 6 in northern Italy amid boycotts over Russian and Belarusian participation, have seen temperatures well above freezing, softening snow for events like cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Athletes have competed in shorts, T-shirts, and tank tops. Canadian skier Mark Arendz said after his March 11 race, “Anything that’s not hard snow is always going to take a lot more energy out of you,” adding the steepest climb felt “three times harder” due to sinking into slush.
Safety concerns peaked with 12 of 23 athletes crashing in a March 8 downhill sitting ski race. Snowboarders complained of slow, soft conditions, and one skier called it “tropical.” Experts link the warm spring to climate change, prompting IOC talks to shift Winter Olympics and Paralympics a month earlier.
Canada earned 10 medals by March 12, including bronzes for Arendz and Brittany Hudak in the 10km standing cross-country races on March 11—Hudak's first at these Games. Natalie Wilkie took bronze in the women's standing sprint classic on March 10, her third medal. Brazil celebrated its first Winter Paralympic medal when skier Cristian Westemaier Ribera won on March 10, despite no snow at home by training on roller skis.
New controversies emerged: On March 10, German silver medalist Linn Kazmaier and guide Florian Baumann turned their backs during the Russian anthem after Anastasiia Bagiian's gold in women's visually impaired cross-country sprint. Kazmaier said, “It’s such a shame that politics overshadows everything." The International Paralympic Committee is investigating. Ukrainian biathlete Oleksandra Kononova received a warning for “STOP WAR” earrings after her March 8 gold.
