Flame for 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics lit at ceremony in Stoke Mandeville

Paralympic competitors Millie Knight of Great Britain and Andrea Macri of Italy lit the flame for next month's 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics on Tuesday in Stoke Mandeville, England, the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic Movement.

Knight is a Paralympic Alpine skier who has earned four medals in three editions of Games, while Macri serves as the vice captain of Italy's Para ice hockey team. The duo lit the flame in front of 200 invited guests during a ceremony hosted by Dame Sarah Storey, the most-decorated British Paralympian in history.

"From those beginnings to the first official Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, the Movement has grown beyond anything imagined," said IPC (International Paralympic Committee) President Andrew Parsons. "As the Flame returns to Italy, and as the Paralympic Winter Games return after 20 years to the country, Milano Cortina 2026 stands as a powerful celebration of how far we've come."

"Stoke Mandeville and Rome are the places where this extraordinary journey began, a journey that has transformed millions of lives through sport and changed how we see one another as a society," noted Giovanni Malago, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 President, in a video message. "Today represents a special moment for our countries, for the Paralympic Movement and for humanity. The Flame lit in Stoke Mandeville is a symbol of hope and of the future, a living testimony of our commitment to improve and to ensure full participation for everyone, regardless of any barrier."

The torch relay for the 2026 Winter Paralympics will feature five festivals in key cities (Milano, Torino, Bolzano, Trento, and Trieste) and travel 2,000 kilometers over 11 days before reaching the Opening Ceremony on March 6 at the Verona Arena.