Calls grow for Paralympics to be moved earlier as slushy conditions cause chaos

Skiing in slush. Snowboarding through sticky patches. Hyperventilating in the heat. Paralympians at the 2026 Games have described all of those scenarios playing out in the warm conditions in Milano Cortina.

There are also a few common terms repeated in most of the articles and announcements about the 2026 Milano-Cortino Paralympic Games so far: "challenging," "extremely difficult" and "brutal" conditions.

"These games need to be held a month earlier," Canada's Kurt Oatway said Monday after a disappointing run on the Para alpine skiing course.

"Every year it's soft, it's slush. It's spring skiing, and that's not really real ski racing."

Warmer weather has been a logistical issue at the last several Winter Olympics — to the point that the IOC is mulling moving the Olympic and Paralympic Games a month earlier. And there have long been calls to reschedule or merge the Paralympics for this reason, among others, including increased visibility for Paralympians.

But those calls have grown louder as this year's athletes contend with some of the mildest March conditions yet.

'These Games need to be held a month earlier': Canada's Kurt Oatway

"I don't believe that the Paralympics should be happening right now," U.S. Para snowboarder Amy Purdy said in a TikTok video Sunday with nearly 300,000 views.

The Paralympics take place in March, which is now essentially spring in many countries that have hosted or could host the Winter Games, which makes it difficult for any athlete competing in outdoor winter sports, according to Purdy.

And that's even more of a challenge if you use prosthetics or are visually impared, she added.

"You have athletes with disabilities who have trained their entire lives to showcase their abilities and what