Who to watch at the Paralympics this weekend

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The 50th-anniversary edition of the Paralympic Winter Games officially began today with the opening ceremony at ancient Verona Arena, which hosted the Olympic closing ceremony a couple of weeks ago. Ukraine and six other European countries boycotted the festivities in protest of the International Paralympic Committee's decision to reinstate Russia and Belarus.

Canada was not part of the boycott, but the Canadian Paralympic Committee decided to not send any athletes to the ceremony. The CPC, which voted against lifting the ban on Russia and Belarus, called it a "performance-based" decision based on Verona being at least two hours away from where athletes are staying and competing.

Canada's flag-bearers were Natalie Wilkie, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist in nordic skiing, and Tyler McGregor, the captain of the Para hockey team. They did the honours remotely as they prepare to compete tomorrow. 

Canadian athletes celebrate the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympic Games opening ceremony

In another case of an ongoing war impacting these Games, the IPC announced today that Iran's lone athlete, a cross-country skier, will not compete because it was not safe for him to travel to Italy.

A total of 22 medal events will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Here are some of the Canadians to watch:

*The aforementioned Natalie Wilkie competes in a pair of biathlon events in the women's standing category: the 7.5-kilometre sprint on Saturday at 6 a.m. ET and the 12.5km race on Sunday at 7:10 a.m. ET. The seven-time Paralympic medallist is the reigning world champion in both events.

*Twelve