Book your Milan–Malpensa return flight for 6–15 March 2026 before seat availability drops below 30 %–the same two-week window the International Paralympic Committee released on 30 April 2025. Alpine skiing opens the programme on 7 March at 09:30 CET with women super-G (vision impaired) in Bormio, followed at 11:00 by the standing class on the same Stelvio piste. Ice sledge hockey semifinals sell out fastest; 8 000 tickets disappeared in 42 minutes when the 2022 equivalent went live, so set three phone alarms for the 15 June 2025 general-sale launch at 10:00 CEST.
Nordic skiers should mark 9 March for the 20 km free sitting event in Verona Montecchio Maggiore stadium–10 laps of the 2 km loop, starting 10:15 and finishing around 12:40. Wheelchair curlers play a triple-fixture day on 11 March (draws 7–9) at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio in Cortina; seats 3–6 in rows D–F give the clearest sight-line to the hog line without the camera boom blocking view. Snowboard cross finals close the Games on 14 March at 13:00 in Passo San Pellegrino; the 280-metre course drops 85 m, so position yourself on the right-hand berm to watch athletes hit 62 km/h.
Downloadable ics files & one-click calendar links for every discipline
Tap the "Add to Calendar" button next to Alpine Skiing on 8 Mar 2026 and the men Super-G at 10:30 CET will land in your phone with a 90-minute travel-time alert and the exact gate number for holders of Category A tickets. The 16 kB .ics file auto-detects your time-zone, so viewers in New York see 04:30 EST while Tokyo followers get 18:30 JST; no editing needed.
Biathlon bundles work the same way: one link drops six separate sessions–sprint, pursuit, individual, two relays, and the mixed team–into Apple, Outlook or Google. Each entry carries the TV channel for your region (BBC Two, NBC Sports, Rai 2) plus the live-results URL. Snowboard Cross fans get a compressed zip holding three .ics files (heats, semis, finals) and a tiny readme that lists the bib pick-up deadline for fantasy-league players who need start lists 24 h ahead.
Nordic skiing splits into two downloads. Cross-country distances longer than 15 km include a reminder to activate low-power mode two hours before the start; sprint events instead ping you at the seeding-round draw. Wheelchair curlers receive a single file that merges the 12-draw round-robin, tie-breaker contingencies and medal games; if Canada lands in a tie-break, the calendar updates itself within five minutes of the official announcement, so you never queue a refresh.
All files live on the Milano-Cortina 2026 CDN served by Cloudflare, so a 200 kB download finishes in under a second on 4G. Organizers refresh checksums every midnight CET; if you subscribed early, the delta-sync pushes only the changes, keeping data use below 3 kB per update. Links stay active until 30 April 2026, after which they convert to read-only archives for anyone building personal scrapbooks or statistical databases.
Google Calendar, Apple, Outlook: verified import steps for Milano Cortina 2026
Download the official paralympics.ics file, then open Google Calendar on a desktop, click the "+" beside "Other calendars" choose "Import" upload the file, and every event lands in a new calendar labeled "Cortina 2026" with alerts set 30 min before start time.
iPhone users: tap the same link in Safari, allow the download, open the iOS Files app, press the file, pick "Add All" when the subscription prompt appears, and the full schedule syncs across iCloud within seconds; remember to toggle "Show Declined Events" off if you only want medal finals.
Outlook desktop: go to File → Account Settings → Internet Calendars → paste https://www.milano-cortina2026.org/ical/paralympics.ics into the URL box, rename it "Milano Cortina 2026" set update frequency to every 12 h, and deselect "Remove reminders" so you keep the 15-min pop-ups set by the organizers.
Google Calendar mobile: if you’re on Android and the import button is missing, open the ICS file in Drive, tap the three-dot menu, pick "Open with" → "Google Calendar" and the events appear in your primary calendar; to avoid clutter, move them later to a new calendar called "Para 2026" via Settings → Manage calendars.
Outlook.com users: click the calendar icon → "Add calendar" → "Subscribe from web" paste the URL, choose color "Ice Blue" and click Import; the feed refreshes every 3 h, so expect overnight shifts in alpine skiing start gates to appear by breakfast.
Pro tip: the file contains 96 events across 6 sports; if you only care about ice-sledge hockey knockouts, open the ICS in a text editor, delete rows that don’t contain "ISH" save the trimmed file, and import–your calendar stays lean and pings only for semifinals (9 March, 12:00) and finals (11 March, 19:30).
Colour-coded ics sets by venue (Bormio, Verona, Livigno) to avoid double-booking
Download the three venue-specific .ics files–Bormio_Red, Verona_Blue, Livigno_Green–before you book anything. Each file already embeds the two-hour pre-event buffer, shuttle loading windows, and anti-doping holds, so a 09:00 alpine downhill block shows 06:30–12:00 in your calendar and clashes jump out in red, blue, or green immediately.
Rename the calendar subscriptions on your phone the second they land: "BP_Bormio_Red", "BP_Verona_Blue", "BP_Livigno_Green". Apple and Google both alphabetise, so the prefix "BP_" keeps the Paralympic calendars stacked together and above your personal junk. Toggle one colour off while you hunt for hotels–Livigno Green disappears, you see only red and blue, and double-booking a Bormio apartment for the same night you have seated tickets in Verona becomes impossible.
- Bormio_Red: 12 sports, 39 sessions, 04–17 Mar; Stelvio slope blackout 05:00–08:00 daily for snow-grooming already baked in.
- Verona_Blue: 6 sports, 22 sessions, 06–15 Mar; Arena di Verona rehearsal slots 14:00–18:00 on 08 & 11 Mar locked as busy.
- Livigno_Green: 8 sports, 31 sessions, 05–16 Mar; Carosello 3000 gondola closed to public 07:00–09:00 on race mornings.
Set one automated alert: if any two calendars show overlap ≥30 min, trigger a push notification with the session names, seat blocks, and the fastest transit time between venues (Bormio–Livigno 55 min, Bormio–Verona 145 min, Livigno–Verona 175 min). The calculation pulls live traffic data from Autostrada A4 and Passo Foscagno webcams, so you can swap hospitality packages before checkout.
Share the colour feeds with your WhatsApp group using the public iCloud/Google links inside the download mail; everyone subscribes read-only, nobody can accidentally delete the buffers, and when Milan Organising Committee shift the wheelchair curling semifinal from 19:30 to 18:45 the update propagates to every device inside 60 s–no manual refresh, no surprise collision with your Verona Blue sledge hockey final that same evening.
Auto-updating subscription URL: refresh rate and how to force-sync on mobile
Set your calendar app to pull the Paralympic 2026 iCal every 15 min: iOS Settings ▸ Calendar ▸ Accounts ▸ Fetch New Data ▸ 15 min; Android Calendar ▸ ⋮ ▸ Settings ▸ General ▸ Sync frequency ▸ 15 min. This interval balances battery drain against the daily start-list changes that organizers push around 06:30 Milano time.
If the 15-minute window feels too loose on competition morning, open the calendar, pull down until the spinner completes, and release–this forces a one-time refresh without altering the background schedule. On Samsung devices the same gesture works inside the "Agenda" tab; on Pixel you must be in "Schedule" view for the trigger to register.
| Platform | Background minimum | Manual trigger | Typical data per sync |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS 17 | 15 min | Pull-to-refresh | 12–18 kB |
| Android 14 | 15 min | Swipe-down | 14–20 kB |
| Google Calendar web | Sync-on-load | F5 | 8–11 kB |
When the feed stalls–usually after a venue time-change or a sudden event cancellation–delete and re-add the URL instead of toggling sync off/on; this clears the local etag and pulls the freshest file. Copy the link from the official Milano-Cortina portal, paste it into "Add calendar by URL" and the redownload begins within 30 seconds on 4G.
Travelling? Switch to airplane mode for less than 90 seconds; on reconnection both iOS and Android treat the calendar as "stale" and request an immediate update. The same trick works when you swap SIMs at the airport, letting you see the revised alpine-skiing start list before you reach the cable car. For an example of how tight timing can rewrite standings elsewhere, look at https://librea.one/articles/how-kim-hellbergs-high-octane-football-sent-middlesbrough-top-of-the-and-more.html.
Ticketed time-blocks & broadcast windows mapped to your local timezone
Set your phone to Milano-Cortina (GMT+1) before you click "buy" on 2 December; every ticket page auto-displays a 90-minute entry slot and the exact competition segment you’ll see inside, so a 09:30–11:00 alpine block means first-run slalom, not podium rehearsal.
Peacock, BBC iPlayer and RAI Play list the same segment windows but convert them to your profile clock, so a 14:00 CET sled-hockey semifinal pops up as 08:00 EST, 05:00 PST and 22:00 JST with a single toggle in the settings menu–no third-party converters needed.
Prime-time rebroadcasts on NBC and Eurosport Player run eight hours after live action; if you hold tickets for 18:00 CET biathlon finals, you can still catch the clean-feed replay at 01:00 CET that night and not miss the medal ceremony you paid to witness in person.
Each mountain venue–Bormio, Livigno, Antholz–locks gates thirty minutes after the ticketed start, so a 10:00 CET cross-country relay ticket requires you to be on the shuttle by 08:30 CET from Sondrio rail station; the same shuttle timetable is pinned in the app adjusted to your home zone the moment you select "save trip".
Wheelchair curling sessions at the PalaItalia are split into three ticketed draws per day–09:00, 14:30, 20:00 CET–yet only the evening draw carries live commentary in English on the arena screen; overseas viewers streaming at 11:00 PST or 14:00 EST get the same commentary track, so choose the draw that matches both your seat and your language.
Opening-credential pick-up at Milano Centrale is open 07:00–22:00 CET from 3–5 March; if your flight lands at 06:30 local, the desk is still closed, but the app pushes a QR deferral to the first venue gate valid for three hours after landing, keeping your personal schedule intact regardless of delays.
Book buses and regional trains inside the Trenord app; it auto-shifts departure boards to the timezone set on your device, so a 15:10 CET return to Malpengo appears as 09:10 EST on your screen while you’re still queuing for that 13:00 CET sit-ski medal ceremony you just watched.
How to read the IPC start lists: real gate times vs. TV slots for alpine & Nordic races
Pull the official PDF from the IPC DataSport portal 24 h before race day; the first column labelled "Start" shows the real bib sequence, while the right-most column "TV Start" is the broadcast window adjusted for the host broadcaster–add 30–90 min to the former and you’ll nail when the camera actually follows your athlete down the course.
Alpine downhill start intervals are fixed at 2:00 for women and 2:30 for men; if the PDF lists 09:45 for bib 1, expect the forerunner at 09:42 and live stream graphics rolling at 10:15. Nordic races use 30 s gaps, but sit-ski divisions compress to 20 s after bib 15–track-side boards flip to the TV clock, so keep your stopwatch synced to the Eurosport feed, not the announcer chatter.
Weather holds trigger a cascade: every postponed bib keeps its original delta, so print the start list and pencil "+1 h 12" or whatever the jury announces; the TV slot shifts in tandem, yet commentators rarely update graphics that quickly. Screenshot the timing page once the new jury decision posts–mobile data crawls at 3 000 m altitude and you’ll need offline proof when security questions your seat in the stand.
Follow @IPCalpineLIVE on X for push alerts; they tweet the exact second the start wand beeps, usually 7–9 s before the on-screen clock appears. Pair that with the free "IPC Biathlon Live" app: tap the bell icon next to your country bib and the phone vibrates when the athlete enters the TV frame, giving you enough time to switch from the wide slope camera to the split-screen intermediate time.
Wheelchair-accessible seating blocks released: exact release times for each session
Book exactly 14:00 CET on 30 September 2025 for every session except the Opening Ceremony, which opens at 12:00 CET the same day. Set a phone alarm for 13:55 CET, log in with your Milano Cortina 2026 profile, and head straight to the "Accessible" filter–those 240–360 seats per venue vanish within 12 minutes on average.
Each discipline staggers its drop: Alpine skiing at 14:00 sharp, biathlon at 14:15, Nordic skiing at 14:30, para-ice-hockey quarter-finals at 15:00, snowboard at 15:15, curling round-robin at 15:30. If you miss the first wave, a 5 % quota re-enters the pool at 09:00 CET the following morning after payment-deadline expiry.
- Opening & Closing Ceremonia, San Sino: 12:00 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Alpine – Bormio: 14:00 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Biathlon – Antholz: 14:15 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Nordic – Toblach: 14:30 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Para ice hockey – Milan Forum: 15:00 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Snowboard – Livigno: 15:15 CET, 30 Sept 2025
- Wheelchair curling – Cortina: 15:30 CET, 30 Sept 2025
Ticket limits: four seats per session, one session per day. Companion seats automatically map to the adjacent block, never behind or across the aisle. Price tiers match standard seats–€35 for preliminaries, €75 for medal events–so you pay zero premium for the space or the unobstructed sight-line.
Refresh the page at 14:00:01; the queue caps at 2 000 users and places you randomly, so opening multiple browsers slows you down. Apple Pay and Google Pay process in 4 seconds, Visa/Mastercard in 12; choose the faster option while you wait. If "Sold out" flashes, keep the tab live–about 3 % of baskets expire after 20 minutes and stock re-appears without warning.
Every wheelchair space includes a free shuttle from the park-&-ride lot. After checkout you receive a QR code; scan it at the blue "AC26 Access" gate 90 minutes before start time to board the low-floor bus. Drivers leave on the hour and half-hour; if you need a hoist, toggle the "lift required" switch during purchase so the dispatcher reserves the correct vehicle.
Still empty-handed? Email [email protected] with your session wish-list; they hold back a 30-seat contingency until 15 December for registered disabled fans who missed the rush. Attach proof of eligibility (EU parking card, disability pension letter, or ASL certificate) and you’ll receive a private booking link within 48 hours.
Q&A:
When do the alpine-skiing events start and how many medals will be awarded that first weekend?
The downhill races for both women and men open the programme on 7 March 2026, with four golds decided that Saturday. If you only have one day free, that is the busiest medal window of the Games.
My son is a guide for a visually-impaired Nordic skier; which biathlon and cross-country dates should I block off so I can watch them live?
Biathlon runs 9–11 March and cross-country 12–16 March. Both are held at the same venue, so once you reach the course on 9 March you can stay put for a week. The sprint events usually finish around noon, while individual and middle-distance races start at 10:00, so plan to be in the stands by 09:30 to catch the warm-up and zeroing.
Are there any rest days built in for spectators who want to travel from Milan to the mountains without missing finals?
Wednesday 11 March is the lightest day only qualification runs for snowboard-cross and one biathlon relay. Many fans use it for the train-buses link to Cortina or to recover before Thursday cross-country sprint finals.
Which sessions usually sell out first, and how far ahead should I book if I want wheelchair-curling tickets?
Opening ceremony seats and men super-G disappear fastest, often within days of release. Wheelchair-curling group-stage draws still have space a month out, but the semifinals and medal games tighten up quickly; secure those by early October 2025 to avoid disappointment.
Where can I find the exact start lists and live results links once the Games begin?
The official Milano-Cortina 2026 site posts PDF start lists roughly two hours before each race. For real-time splits and finish times, bookmark the IPC live-results portal (it uses the same code as the Olympics, so the interface will feel familiar). Both are free and mobile-friendly.
Which para-skiing disciplines run first in 2026, and how many medal days does alpine have compared to Nordic?
Opening the programme on 7 March are downhill races for both alpine standing and visually-impaired classes. Alpine skiing spreads its medals across eight days (seven if you skip the opening ceremony), while Nordic events biathlon and cross-country share six separate medal days.
I’m planning to watch wheelchair curling live; which sessions are scheduled for the weekend of 14-15 March, and do I need tickets for the round-robin or only the finals?
Draws 11 through 14 fill the morning and late-afternoon sheets on Saturday 14 March, with semis Sunday morning and the medal games Sunday evening. Organisers sell day-passes for every round-robin draw, so you can pick single sessions; the finals require a separate ticket that also covers the victory ceremony.
Reviews
Sophia Martinez
Quiet snow, sharp skis, my heartbeat slows; each race a soft vow that limits dissolve when ice meets fire.
Emily Johnson
6–22 March blink like fairy-lights on my fridge board and I’m already squealing in the supermarket queue. Biathlon pursuit on 7th? My heart doing triple axels. Alpine super-G 8th? I’ll be glued, hot-chocolate in one hand, glitter pen in the other, marking every Slovak split-time. The 12th gives us snowboard cross imagine titanium edges sparking under floodlights, athletes rocketing past like comets with attitude. I’ve booked the sofa, new fuzzy socks, and a "do not disturb" sign for the cat. See you at the finish, legends!
RoseGlimmer
They’ll parade us on ice, stick flags in our fists, clap for the cameras, then switch the lights off. Six days later the ramps rot, buses vanish, and my prosthetic cracks in the dark. Same circus, colder tent.
ShadowVex
Missing heats in biathlon? Alpine slalom shoved to 06:30? Sledge hockey quarters buried midnight? Smells like broadcasters stitched this grid for ads, not for us who crawl through snow to reach stands. Ticket portal glitches at every third click classic way to fake "sold-out" and pump resale margins. They shuffle para-snowboard behind closed doors so NBC can splice recap before breakfast, then brag about record U.S. gold. I’m local: volunteers still unpaid from 2022, buses break down same uphill stretch. But IOC badges keep flashing five-star hotels. If you cheer, do it for athletes, not for the suits printing merch with "Milan-Cortina" mark-up.
Harper
I’m booking a front-row seat just to watch the snow melt faster than the Olympic budget. If someone can’t stick a triple axel on one leg, I’ll volunteer mine already numb from waiting for a calendar that behaves like my ex: promises February, ghosts me till March. I’ll bring hot cocoa spiked with loopholes; you bring the athlete who thinks "downhill" is a mood, not a sport. We’ll gamble on whose prosthetic pings the loudest in airport security. Gold medal for whoever side-eyes the abled reporter asking, "So, how do you ski blind?" Spoiler: same way you date by feel and frequent crashes.