Milano Cortina 2026 Day 1 Preview: Busy first day of competition ahead for Canadian Paralympic Team

Cortina, Italy, March 6, 2026 – Canada’s winter Paralympians are ready to take to the ice and snow of Italy for the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Below is a run-down of Day 1 action for the Milano Cortina 2026 Canadian Paralympic Team on Saturday March 7, with athletes from each sport team in competition:   

Para Alpine Skiing 
The Para alpine skiing schedule begins with the downhill races, starting at 9:30 a.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. ET. Seven Para alpine skiers are set for the start gate, starting with Mollie Jepsen – a two-time Paralympic medallist in the downhill event – and Michaela Gosselin in the women’s standing category, followed by Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith making their first Paralympic appearance in the men’s visually impaired, Alexis Guimond in the men’s standing, and Kurt Oatway and Brian Rowland in the men’s sitting.  

Para Nordic Skiing – Para Biathlon  
Para nordic skiing action will commence with the Para biathlon sprint races, with 12-time Paralympic medallist Mark Arendz and seven-time medallist and flag bearer Natalie Wilkie leading the way for Canada. Christina Pictonwill start for the Canadian squad at 10 am local time / 4 a.m. ET in the women’s sitting, followed by Collin Cameron and Derek Zaplotinsky in the men’s sitting. At 12 pm local time / 6 a.m. ET, Brittany Hudak and Wilkie will race in the women’s standing category followed by Arendz in the men’s standing. Paralympic debutants Maddie Mullin and guide Brooke Ailey will close it out for Canada in the women’s visually impaired classification at 1:15 pm local time / 7:15 a.m. ET.  

Para Snowboard 
All five of Canada’s Para snowboarders – Sandrine Hamel, Alex Massie, Philippe Nadreau, Chase Nicklin, and Tyler Turner – will line up in their respective categories for the snowboard cross qualification runs. Athletes will be trying to advance to Sunday’s finals. Turner is the defending Paralympic champion in the men’s SB-LL1 event; with his victory four years ago, he became the first Canadian Para snowboarder to claim gold at the Paralympic Winter Games. Competition begins at 11 a.m. local time / 5 a.m. ET.  

Wheelchair Curling 
Ina Forrest will make her fifth consecutive Paralympic Winter Games appearance – the first wheelchair curler to do so – as the Canadian wheelchair curling squad takes on host Italy at 6:35 p.m. local / 12:35 p.m. ET.  

Para Ice Hockey 
Canada’s Para ice hockey team, led by flag bearer and team captain Tyler McGregor, begins its quest for gold at 8:35 p.m. local time / 2:35 p.m. ET, opening its tournament against Slovakia in the first of three preliminary games.  

The complete schedule for March 7 can be found on the Milano Cortina 2026 website HERE.  

HOW TO WATCH 
As the official broadcaster of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, CBC/Radio-Canada will provide extensive coverage across its multiple platforms, showcasing the performances of Paralympians to audiences nationwide. Audiences can tune in for CBC’s coverage of Milano Cortina 2026 on CBC, CBC Gem, and CBC’s Milano Cortina 2026 website (cbc.ca/milanocortina2026) in English. Coverage in French can be found on ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, and on Radio-Canada.ca/jeux-paralympiques.