Nagano 2013 - Media Centre
News - Ice sledge hockey
![Three male athletes compete in a race.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Jason%20Smyth%20Ireland%2C%20Para%20athletics%2C%20Tokyo%202020.jpg)
Training comes first for Para athletes during holiday season
Many Para athletes are choosing to prioritise their preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympics during the holiday season
![Three female athletes with prosthetic legs posing for a picture with the flag of Italy](/sites/default/files/2023-07/Italy%20t63.jpg)
Year in review: Paris 23 World Championships top moments
From Italian sprinters set to return for more glory in the French capital at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to an unbelievable shot put final and plenty of world records, a lookback at nine fantastic days in July at the Charlety Stadium
![A female Para swimmer reaction surprised in the water](/sites/default/files/2023-08/GettyImages-1594438060%20%281%29.jpg)
Year in review: Manchester 2023 top moments
A lookback at a fantastic week at the Manchester Aquatics Centre with Simone Barlaam and his teammates leading Italy to the top, Jessica Long rewriting history and Ellie Challis leaving special memories to the home crowd at the Manchester 2023 Allianz Para Swimming World Championships
![A man in a wheelchair competing in a Para trap event](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Trap%20Lima%202023.jpg)
2023 in review: From Regional Games to Lima, a year full of action
World Cups in Changwon, Osijek and Al Ain add fantastic performances to a season which saw shooting Para sport entertain the audiences at the European Para Championships in Rotterdam, the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and the Parapan American Games in Santiago; while the Peruvian capital made history hosting the first edition of the Worlds in the Americas
![A female athlete on a bench press celebrating with two people in the background](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Guo%20Lingling%20-%20Dubai%202023.jpg)
2023 in review: The most memorable moments of the year
A journey through hosts of past and future World Championships, 11 world records and the best of the World Para Powerlifting season at the World Cups, the Asian Para Games, Parapan American Games and the Dubai Worlds
![A male athlete holds the French Open trophy. His face is reflected on the silver trophy.](/sites/default/files/2023-06/Tokito%20Oda%20French%20Open.jpg)
Top Paralympic moments of 2023
From making wheelchair tennis history to winning five gold medals at Santiago 2023, this year was full of sporting feats that will be remembered for years to come
![Three male sit skiers pose for a photo on the podium.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/1%20Alpine%20skiing%20Men-Sitting%20day%202%20podium%20in%20St.%20Moritz%20WC.jpg)
Para alpine skiing season kicks off in St. Moritz
The season-opening Para alpine skiing World Cup saw four athletes capture double victories
![Eight blind football athletes gather to celebrate at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/1%20Brazil%20blind%20football%20Tokyo%202020%20gold%20medal%20match.jpg)
When a nation’s sporting strength helps lay the foundation
Brazil in blind football, China in table tennis and Great Britain in rowing are some examples of how a country's sporting tradition translates into Paralympic success
![A female badminton athlete in action.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Nigeria%E2%80%99s%20Mariam%20Eniola%20Bolaji%20in%20action%20at%20the%205th%20Fazza-%20Dubai%20Para%20Badminton%20International%202023..jpg)
Stars continue to impress at season-ending Fazza-Dubai Para Badminton International
China topped the medals table with nine gold medals, while new Para badminton stars took the spotlight in Dubai
![Two men in wheelchairs holding a French flag next to a man in a wheelchair and a woman standing behind them](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Al%20Ain%202023%20-%20France.jpg)
Legendary Tanguy de La Forest brings 2023 action to a close at Al Ain World Cup
French star wraps up his successful season with three gold medals and a world record at the shooting range that hosted last year's World Championships; Abdullah Sultan Alaryani puts hosts UAE on the top of the podium once again
![A male Para swimmer under water](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Gabriel%20Araujo%20-%20Brazil%20Manchester.jpg)
Gabriel Araujo and Maisie Summers-Newton win Citi Para Swimming World Series 2023
Brazilian and British swimmers top rankings for the first time, Araujo also takes High-Support Needs Male Athletes title and helps Brazil finish as Best National Paralympic Committee; British swimmers also win both Junior Athletes and Female High-Support Needs categories
![An underwater photo of five female swimmers in the water](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Manchester%202023%20-%20underwater.jpg)
Citi Para Swimming World Series: Know all winners
First awarded in 2017, here are the winners of all editions of the World Series in the Female and Male Overall, High-Support Needs and Juniors Athletes categories, as well as the best National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of each year
![goalball tokyo 2020](/sites/default/files/2023-12/goalball1.jpg)
Popularity is still on the rise for the only two Paralympic exclusive sports
How boccia and goalball are making their mark within the sporting offer with their agenda of tactics on one side and speed and acrobatics on the other one
![A male athlete celebrates after a win.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Maxcel%20Amo%20Manu%20Italy%20Para%20athletics.jpg)
Meet Maxcel Amo Manu, Italian “thunderbolt” and breakthrough star
The Italian sprinter won both the men’s 100m and 200m T64 races in his World Championships debut this year
![Ten athletes and officials take part in the athletes' parade at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. A volunteer is holding a sign that says "Refugee Paralympic Team" and a male athlete is carrying a flag of the Three Agitos.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/1%20Refugee%20Paralympic%20Team%20at%20Tokyo%202020%20Opening%20Ceremony.jpg)
IPC to support Refugee Paralympic Team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
- IPC will work with its stakeholders and partners to support Para athletes with refugee status on their pathway to the Paralympic Games
![Two male Para ice hockey players from Germany and Norway on ice](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Moose%20Jaw%202023%20-%20Germany%20v%20Norway.jpg)
World Championships B-Pool goes to Skien, Norway in 2024
Host nation to meet France, Germany, Great Britain, Kazakhstan and Sweden from 15 to 20 April next year Skien Fritidspark as the six nations play for two spots in the A-Pool Worlds in the following season
![A blind football match between Japan and China at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Three Japanese athletes wearing a blue jersey are trying to defend the ball from a Chinese athlete in a white jersey.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Blind%20football%20Japan%20China%20at%20Tokyo%202020.jpg)
Sport programme announced for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, which will take place in Japan from 18-24 October 2026, will feature 18 sports, including Para athletics and Para swimming
![A man and a woman on the podium showing their gold medals](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Matera-Palomeque02.jpg)
Karen Palomeque and Douglas Matera win Panam Sports Awards
Brazilian swimmer and Colombian jumper and sprinter announced best athletes of the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games during ceremony in Miami alongside winners of the Pan American Games; Uzbekistan’s long jumper Asila Mirzayorova wins Asian Awards as Best Female Athlete
![Natalia Partyka](/sites/default/files/images/120124144828518_82816459.jpg)
Teenage and senior talent in Paralympics, a guaranteed headline-grabbing combination
Para table tennis player Natalia Partyka and Para shooter Libby Kosmala have the record as the youngest and oldest Paralympians in history, with 11 and 78 years of age, respectively
![A woman on a bench press in Para powerlifting competition](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Beata%20Jankowska.jpg)
Jankowska and Kraratpet shine at World Cup season finale in Nakhon Ratchasima
Poland top the medals table at the last World Cup of the 2023 season while host nation shine with four gold medals in front of the home crowd at the event which was part of the World Abilitysport Games in Thailand