World Championships you can't miss in the winter Para sport season

The winter Para sport season is in full swing, with exciting competitions taking place in all six sports on the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games programme.

As athletes prepare for the Games, this year’s World Championships promise to deliver incredible sporting action and memorable moments.

Do not forget to mark your calendars and follow the action.

 

Para alpine skiing

Maribor 2025 Para Alpine World Ski Championships (4-11 February) 

 

The world’s best Para alpine skiers will gather in the Slovenian city of Maribor for the week-long Maribor 2025 Para Alpine World Ski Championships. Two months after the World Cup season opener in Steinach am Brenner, athletes are set to compete in the pinnacle event of the season.

Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli, Norway’s Jesper Pedersen, and Japan’s Momoka Muraoka are among the Beijing 2022 Paralympic champions who will compete in Maribor.

Bertagnolli is considering the World Championships as a dress rehearsal for the Games.

“2025 will be the last season before the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games. I have a lot of work to do because I know I can still improve so much. Each race will be great training that will help me get ready for 2026,” he said.

“The World Championships this season will be super important because, in my head, it will be like the Paralympics - a single race where I have to give my best to get the best result possible.”

At the most recent World Cup in Feldberg, Germany, Jeroen Kampschreur of the Netherlands won all three slalom events in the men’s sitting category, beating Pedersen, who won four gold medals in Beijing.

“It’s a different slope than the World Championships, so it’s not going to have a direct effect on it, but I’m sure my mind will be in a good rhythm,” he told the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

 

Para biathlon

IBU Para Biathlon World Championships (6-9 February)

 

The IBU Para Biathlon World Championships promise plenty of excitement when it kicks off on 6 February in Pokljuka, Slovenia. 

At Beijing 2022, Ukraine dominated the Para biathlon medals table with eight gold, nine silver and five bronze medals, followed by China with four gold, two silver and six bronze medals.  

What will the medals table look like in Pokljuka? We cannot wait to find out. 

Ahead of the season, Canada’s two-time Paralympic champion Mark Arendz said he is excited to compete at the legendary venue, which has staged major biathlon competitions. 

“I look forward to competing in Pokljuka for the Biathlon World Championships later this season. It will be a new venue for me, with a high-performing legacy,” he said in an interview with the International Biathlon Union. 

“Pokljuka has been a regular stop for the biathlon community over the years, now we will get a chance to do the same. I hope to take the momentum from last season’s Prince George forward into Pokljuka and achieve similar performances.” 

 

Para cross-country skiing

FIS Para Cross-Country World Championships (11-14 February)

 

The Para Cross-Country World Championships will be held in Toblach, Italy, from 12-14 February. Taking place two weeks after the official Milano Cortina 2026 test event in Val di Fiemme, athletes will aim to take the spotlight in the sport’s pinnacle event of the 2024/2025 season.

Brazil’s Cristian Westemaier Ribera is among the athletes to watch in Toblach. In Val di Fiemme, the two-time Paralympian won the men’s sprint classic sitting event, edging China’s Mengtao Liu in an incredible finish.

Three years ago, China claimed seven of the 20 gold medals at Beijing 2022. Chinese athletes returned to the Para Cross-Country World Cup circuit this season, and we can’t wait to see how they will perform in Toblach.

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim 2025, taking place from 26 February-9 March, will also feature several Para cross-country skiing events for the first time.

 

Wheelchair curling

World Wheelchair Curling Championships 2025 (1-8 March) 

World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (10-16 March)

 

The World Wheelchair Curling Championship, which takes place from 1-8 March, will feature 12 teams that have qualified either from last year’s championship or through the World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship 2024. The World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship will be held from 10-16 March.

Reigning world champions Norway, Japan, Sweden, Scotland, China, Italy, Latvia, England, Slovakia, the Republic of Korea, the USA, and Canada will compete in the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Stevenson. The USA won the World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship last year.

While wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut 20 years ago, Milano Cortina 2026 will mark the first time it will feature two medal events – the mixed team tournament and the mixed doubles tournament.

The Republic of Korea’s Cho Minkyong and Jeong Taeyeong won the 2024 world championships on home soil.

 

Para snowboard

FIS Para Snowboard World Championships (4-10 March)

 

Do not miss the FIS Para Snowboard World Championships in Big White, Canada. The world’s best Para athletes will compete in the banked slalom and snowboard cross, which will also be staged at Milano Cortina 2026.

While one more World Cup event remains, the 2024/2025 season has already witnessed plenty of excitement.

Earlier in February, five athletes—US Paralympian Noah Elliott, Spain’s Irati Idiakez Lopez, Aron Fahrni of Switzerland, France’s Cecile Hernandez, and Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner—won the Banked Slalom Crystal Globe for the season. Lopez and Fahrni earned the first Crystal Globe of their careers.

Elliott, who won gold at PyeongChang 2018, said, “I’m really looking forward to the World Championships. My goals are obviously to win another world title and continue to dominate banked slalom as much as possible. And also see if I can step up my progress in boarder cross. So hopefully we’ll get there."

 

Para ice hockey

Buffalo 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool (24-31 May) 

 

The world's top eight teams will compete at the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-pool in Buffalo, New York, USA, from 24-31 May.

Held 10 months ahead of Milano Cortina 2026, the World Championships will serve as a major qualification opportunity, with the top five finishers earning qualification slots for their National Paralympic Committee (NPC).

The participating teams are Canada, USA, Czechia, China, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Norway and Germany. The event at the LECOM Harborcenter will be the final A-pool World Championships before the next Paralympics.

The rivalry between World No. 1 Canada and World No. 2 USA will be something to look forward to in Buffalo. At the most recent World Championships A-Pool in May 2024, Canada upset reigning Paralympic champions USA to win gold after three straight runner-up finishes against their arch-rivals.

"I know how precious little time is before Milano Cortina 2026, and a consistent approach to training for the next year plus will be the best way to prepare for the Games," Team USA's Declan Farmer said.

"I'm most looking forward to seeing the progress and improvement our team can make over the next year. I think we had a lot of room for growth across the board, and I know we have a group of players who, if they work to reach their potential, will push the boundaries of Para ice hockey on the skill side of the sport." 

There will be more major tournaments in 2025, including the 2025 WPIH Championships B-Pool, 2025 WPIH MiCo Qualification Tournament, and 2025 WPIH Women's World Championships.

 

* Schedules subject to change