Mattarella at the Paralympic Culture Festival

On the opening day of the event in Taranto, the Italian President visited the Milano Cortina 2026 stand.

Promoting sport as a vehicle for inclusion and a tool for overcoming one's limits from a young age: this is the spirit with which the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 is participating in the Festival of Paralympic Culture in Taranto, the initiative that promotes the practice of sport and the values that characterise the Paralympic Games.

Milano Cortina 2026's participation in the event organized by the Italian Paralympic Committee was enriched by an exceptional visit: on the opening day, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, accompanied by the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and the President of the Italian Paralympic Committee and Vice-President of Milano Cortina 2026, Luca Pancalli, honoured the stand of Milano Cortina 2026 with his presence, stopping for a polite greeting to the representatives of the Organising Committee and its CEO, Andrea Varnier.

Students try Paralympic sports 

Four days of sport dedicated to the celebration of inclusion, equality and fair play, with over 1,000 students from Apulian secondary schools, who will be able to try first-hand some of the sports in the 2026 Winter Games, including Para Ice Hockey, Wheelchair Curling and Para Alpine Skiing. At the spaces set up by the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, space will also be given to other activities such as Wheelchair Parkour, a wheelchair obstacle course provided by Ottobock.

The words of CEO Andrea Varnier

"Milano Cortina 2026 wants to give a concrete signal of its commitment to inclusion and the promotion of Paralympic values," said Andrea Varnier, Chief Executive Officer of Milano Cortina 2026 on the sidelines of the inauguration. "The Olympics and even more so the Paralympics," added Varnier, "represent a great opportunity to promote, through sport, a real cultural revolution and thus promote a more inclusive society for all, not only when it comes to competition but also in schools, gyms and at all levels of sports. In this sense, I am sure that the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, together with the CIP, the Federations and the territories, can do a very important job to leave a significant legacy for our country".

Educating young people about Paralympic values

Milano Cortina 2026's participation in one of the most important Paralympic events for the world of sport is one of the initiatives promoted by Adaptive Winter Sport, the project of the GEN26 Education Program in collaboration with the CIP and the Sports Federations, to spread inclusion and give active support to the world of Paralympic sport. Celebrating the Olympic and Paralympic values with the energy of contemporary Italian culture and its unique spirit is at the heart of the vision of the Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. A vision that aims to educate and bring the very young closer to Paralympic sports, making them aware of the irrepressible power of sport as a fundamental tool to overcome any type of social barrier that still exists towards disabilities.