Ukraine's Team for the 2026 Winter Paralympics
Ukraine has finalized its largest-ever delegation for the Winter Paralympic Games, with 35 athletes set to compete in Milan-Cortina in 2026. The team, consisting of 25 Paralympians and 10 guide athletes, will participate in four sports:
- Paralympic biathlon
- Paralympic cross-country skiing
- Paralympic alpine skiing
- Paralympic snowboarding
The team secured 25 qualification slots, which is also a national record for Ukraine at the Paralympic Games. This surpasses the previous high of 23 athletes across three sports at the 2014 Paralympics. Notably, Ukraine will be represented in alpine skiing for the first time since 2014 and in snowboarding for the first time since 2018.
Team Composition: Debutants and Veterans
The squad features debutants like Vladyslav Khilchenko in snowboarding and Maksym Heliuta in alpine skiing. The most experienced members are Oleksandra Kononova, Grygorii Vovchynskyi, and Oksana Shyshkova, who have competed since the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics. The delegation also includes Pavlo Bal, a medalist from the Paris 2024 Summer Games, who made his Winter Paralympic debut in Beijing 2022, where his best result was sixth place in the 10km biathlon.
Guide athlete Dmytro Drahun is also among the participants. The team's participation occurs against a complex international backdrop. The International Paralympic Committee has permitted six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, with their anthems to be played should they win gold—a decision that has drawn criticism from many nations.
Fielding 35 athletes highlights the growing strength and institutional support for Paralympic sports in Ukraine. The increased team size and qualification success point to significant development in athlete preparation and infrastructure. However, the context of the ongoing war and the IPC's decision regarding Russian and Belarusian participation adds a layer of profound political significance to the team's presence in Milan-Cortina.