PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS
![Australia's Timothy Hodge poses with his medals at the season-opening Citi Para Swimming World Series Australia 2023 .](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Australia%27s%20Timothy%20Hodge%20poses%20with%20his%20medals..jpg)
Hodge, Jincheng steal show in season opener
Paralympic star propels hosts Australia to top of the medal standings with 11 gold medals, while Jincheng was joined by Singapore's star Yip Pin Xiu
![A female Alpine skier wearing a Team USA jacket skis](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Bonnie%20St%20John%201.jpg)
First African-American woman to win a Winter Games medal: 'an incredible milestone'
Para alpine skier Bonnie St. John ‘completely stunned’ with her achievement of winning three medals at the Innsbruck 1984 Paralympic Winter Games, which made her the first African-American woman to win a Paralympic or Olympic medal at a Winter Games
![19 people pose for a photograph in front of a screen that says "Welcome to Bonn"](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Code%20Review%20Team%20meeting%202023%20Bonn.jpg)
IPC Code Review Team meets in Bonn to discuss feedback on Classification Code draft
The Code Review Team met between 11 and 13 February to analyse feedback received on the first draft of the IPC Classification Code published in July 2022
![A male swimmer with a cap of Australia jumping in the water with another male swimmer in the foreground](/sites/default/files/2023-02/GettyImages-1337727272.jpg)
Timothy Hodge leads home squad at season opener World Series in Australia
Citi Para Swimming World Series kicks off in Melbourne with 93 athletes from 11 countries including a local star aiming high for the new season
![A female runner smiles and raises her right arm in a salute as she comes off the running track.](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Hlompho%20Kete%20hand%20wave.jpg)
Self-acceptance helps Kete embrace life after losing eyesight in medical mystery
"I’ve learned that I’m like this, I have to accept myself like this" - teenage sprinter from Lesotho encourages young athletes to be confident about their disabilities and to chase their dreams
![A male wheelchair tennis player makes a serve on a hard green court with his left arm stretched out wide.](/sites/default/files/2023-02/Michael%20Jeremiasz%20Rio%202016.jpg)
Jeremiasz serves up intimate talk on sex and disability in groundbreaking podcast
No topics are off limits for Paralympic champion and Paris 2024 Ambassador Michael Jeremiasz who is eager to encourage people with disabilities to be open about their sexuality
![A man stands in front of a display of chocolates](/sites/default/files/2023-02/1%20Gerrard%20Gosens%20chocolate.jpg)
Three-time Paralympian, chocolate maker Gosens says “yes” to all things sweet in life
Looking for something sweet to give your date on Valentine's Day? Australian Para triathlete Gerrard Gosens, who runs a chocolate business in Brisbane, Australia, may have the perfect solution
![Tunisia's wheelchair racing star Walid Ktila](/sites/default/files/2023-06/Walid%20Ktila.jpg)
Tunis 2023: Ktila, Chida shine with twin golds
Paralympic stars propel hosts Tunisia to top of medals table; Iraq and Uzbekistan impress too at season opener
![Two sets of mascot designs, one is a pair of flowers and the other is a pair of stoats](/sites/default/files/2023-06/Milano%20Cortina%20mascot%20design%20shortlist_0.jpg)
Milano Cortina 2026 unveils finalists of mascots designs submitted by school students
Two proposals inspired by the nature of Italy were revealed on 8 February at the Sanremo music festival, and a public survey was launched to help select the design of the Games mascots
![Three men wearing Italy's Para ice hockey jersey posing for a picture](/sites/default/files/2023-02/IMG_20220803_174050_996%20%28002%29.jpg)
Andrea Macri heading to his fifth Games in a different fashion
Defender is one of three players on the Italian national team working for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Organising Committee