An opening ceremony was held in the 2,000-year-old Verona Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater in Italy. Themed "Life in Motion," the event celebrated Italian music and art, and is the first opening ceremony in the history of the Paralympics to be held at a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For the first time in the Paralympics history, two cauldrons were lit at the Arco della Pace in Milan and Piazza Dibona in Cortina d'Ampezzo by legendary Italian athletes Francesca Porcellato and Gianmaria Dal Maistro, after a torch relay that began on February 24 in Stoke Mandeville, the United Kingdom which is considered the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement.

The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will run through March 15, featuring 600 athletes from 55 countries competing in 79 events across six sports in 3 main clusters across northern Italy: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and Val di Fiemm