Opening ceremony of 2026 Winter Paralympics to be held in Verona; live coverage on GPB First Channel #1TVSPORT

The official opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will take place in Verona, Italy, at the city’s ancient Roman amphitheatre. The Georgian Public Broadcaster’s First Channel will broadcast live coverage from 23:00.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympic Games.

The inaugural tournament was hosted by Sweden in 1976, with competitors from 16 nations taking part. This year’s Games will see more than 650 athletes from 56 countries compete for 79 sets of medals.

The opening ceremony will feature the traditional lighting of the Paralympic flame. The torch relay has covered some 2,000 kilometres, having been lit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, before passing through five Italian cities on its way to the Arena di Verona, where it will complete its journey tomorrow.

Georgia will be represented at the 2026 Winter Paralympics by two athletes: Temur Dadiani will compete in para cross-country skiing, whilst Valerian Lomaia will take to the slopes in snowboarding.

The Milan–Cortina Winter Paralympic Games will close on March 15.