Unipd for the Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics
09.03.2026
The Winter Paralympics officially began on March 6 —and will draw to a close on March 15 — with over 600 athletes from across the globe competing across Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. This marks ten days of competition across six sports on the 50th anniversary of the first ever Winter Paralympic Games.
While there are no Unipd representatives among the competing athletes, our contribution comes from the 202 members of staff from the Padua University Hospital who are participating in the Milano-Cortina Paralympics to provide healthcare assistance. This team includes professionals from medicine (105), dentistry (3), pharmacy (11), nursing (71), and physiotherapy (12).
On March 5, the day before the opening ceremony, our student and Paralympic paratriathlon silver medallist from the previous Summer Games, Francesca Tarantello, served as the final torchbearer for the Padua leg of the relay, lighting the cauldron in Prato della Valle. "Holding the torch in my hands is something difficult to explain: it isn't just a flame, but the symbol of the dreams, sacrifices, and stories of all the athletes about to experience these Games. Lighting the cauldron was a moment full of emotion that I will carry with me forever," she wrote on her Instagram account.
