Countdown to 2026 Winter Paralympics begins with flame lighting ceremony in Stoke Mandeville
The countdown to the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games began with a flame lighting ceremony at Stoke Mandeville Stadium today.
The ceremony was held in Stoke Mandeville to mark the area’s role in launching the Paralympic Movement, and took place just two days after the Olympic Winter Games concluded in Italy.
Around 400 guests attended the ceremony, with the centre’s leisure facilities closed to the public during the event.
It was attended by dignitaries including International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons, ParalympicsGB President Dan Brooke and Countess Elizabeth Howe, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Buckinghamshire, who all gave speeches during the ceremony.
Dame Sarah Storey, Britain’s most successful Paralympian hosted proceedings, while British Paralympic medallist in Para alpine skiing Millie Knight, and the captain of Italy’s Para ice hockey team Andrea Macri lit the Paralympic Flame, which is being flown to Torino today in advance of an 11-day Torch Relay across the country.
Speaking during the Flame Lighting Ceremony, which was held outside on a dry and windy morning, IPC President Parsons said that the "Flame signifies the power of the Paralympics."
ParalympicsGB President Brooke said that the "Flame lit by Dr Ludwig Guttmann continues to burn bright."
Neurosurgeon Dr Guttmann opened a spinal injuries centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1944 at the request of the British Government, and four years later organised the first Stoke Mandeville Games for wheelchair athletes.
This subsequently grew into the first Paralympic Games, held in Rome in 1960. Members of Dr Guttmann’s family were among the guests at the ceremony.
Countess Howe said in her speech that "Buckinghamshire was proud of its Paralympic legacy", and that "Stoke Mandeville provided a beacon of opportunism and occasion".
The ceremony, which lasted just over half an hour, also included a video message from the leader of the Milan Cortina 2026 Organising Committee Giovanni Malagò who said he hoped the Games "would leave a great legacy."
Paralympians Millie Knight and Andrea Macri then lit the Paralympic Flame before taking part in a question and answer session with Dame Sarah inside the stadium’s sports hall.
The Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games is scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15, with around 665 athletes from 50 nations set to compete across six sports - Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.