“THE TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT”
THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MILANO CORTINA 2026 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES WAS HELD IN THE SPECTACULAR ARENA DI VERONA WHICH IS 2,000 YEARS OLD, AND WAS A VISUAL EXTRAVAGANZA OF JOY, COLOUR AND THE TENACITY, AND HAD MANY SPECIAL VISITORS!
The Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games reached the skies as astronaut Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency sent a special message from the International Space Station, connecting Earth and space where she said “Here in orbit we push the frontiers of space exploration; on Earth, athletes challenge the limits of human potential. From Earth to space, we are on the same journey to inspire, to push the boundaries and to show the power of teamwork,”
PARALYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY MAGIC
THESE PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES WILL FEATURE 611 PARA ATHLETES FROM 55 DELEGATIONS, AND WILL COMPETE ACROSS SIX SPORTS IN FIVE VENUES SPREAD BETWEEN MILAN, CORTINA AND VAL DI FIEMME.
THE ARENA DI VERONA IS OLDER THAN THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME, AND IS THE ONLY ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE STILL REGULARLY USED FOR PERFORMANCES. SINCE IT’S EARLY GLADATORIAL DAYS IT HAS HOSTED CULTURAL EVENTS SUCH AS OPERA, MODERN DAY MUSIC EVENTS, TELEVISION AND FILM PRODUCTIONS, AND MANY SPORTING PERFORMANCES, WITH IT’S NATURAL ACOUSTICS PROVIDING THE PERFECT ACCOMPANIMENT TO MODERN DAY MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY.
THE 2026 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES HAS PROMPTED MODERNISATION, AND THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN GREAT CARE TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY IN AND AROUND THE HISTORIC CITY OF VERONA, INCLUDING PARTS OF THE ARENA, CITY ROUTES AND PUBLIC SPACES.
IT’S GOING TO BE A VERY GOOD GAMES!
