The first medals of the Games will be awarded in Cortina with the women’s and men’s Para-Alpine skiing downhill events across all three categories – visually impaired, standing and sitting – at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.
In the men’s visually impaired competition (09:50), Neil Simpson and his brother and guide Andrew will be hoping to make a solid start to their busy programme in what is probably not their strongest event, though they have had a couple of World Cup podium finishes this season.
Fred Warburton and James Hannan go in the same event at their first Paralympics.
Warburton is a former decathlete who was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition six years ago and only made his first race start in February 2025.
The women’s visually impaired race starts the programme at 08:30. This is not Menna Fitzpatrick and guide Katie Guest’s best event, though Fitzpatrick won a world title back in 2019.
Fitzpatrick, who is Britain’s most decorated Winter Paralympian with six medals, has recovered from a broken leg and knee injury over the past 18 months to compete in Italy while Guest will be making her Games debut after missing Beijing following a positive Covid test.
Simpson, Warburton, Fitzpatrick and all of their rivals in the VI categories will make their way down the course following a guide who communicates instructions via radio.
Canada’s Mollie Jepsen will defend her women’s standing title, but it is the participation of one of her main rivals – Varvara Voronchikhina – that has led to a lot of discussion.
The 23-year-old is one of the six Russians who will compete under their nation’s flags after the International Paralympic Committee lifted its ban on athletes from the two countries competing.
The Para-snowboard programme kicks off from 10:00 with snowboard cross qualifying to decide rankings before Sunday’s head-to-head elimination rounds.
Athletes race down a specially built course with features like banks, rollers and jumps. Each athlete has two runs with the best deciding their final ranking.
Scotland’s Davy Zyw, who is thought to be the first snowsport athlete with motor neurone disease (MND) – a degenerative neurological condition – to ever compete at the Games, will compete in the men’s UL (upper limb) event from 10:21.
Also in the event is James Barnes-Miller, who is appearing at his third Games, while Ollie Hill goes in the men’s LL2 (lower limb) from 11:03.
On day one of the Para-biathlon events, Scott Meenagh goes in what is probably his strongest event – the seated sprint over 7.5km (09:35) – with high hopes of a top-five finish.
At the wheelchair curling, the mixed doubles continues with GB facing world champions Japan (13:35), and it’s also the opening day of the mixed team event.
GB’s Hugh Nibloe, Karen Aspey, Austin McKenzie, Graeme Stewart and Stewart Pimblett start against Slovakia (08:35) who just missed out on a medal at the last Worlds, before taking on the USA (17:35).
Elsewhere, the Para-ice hockey gets under way with the big two – USA and Canada – up against Italy (16:05) and Slovakia (19:35).
