The Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games officially began Friday, and HuffPost will be tracking it all.From medal moments to politically related controversies, we’ll keep you updated throughout the sporting showcase, which marks the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Paralympics.Competition began Wednesday with events in wheelchair curling and para alpine skiing.The opening ceremony at the Verona Olympic Arena, the historic Roman amphitheater, featured performances by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Italian house music trio Meduza and more.The Games will run until March 15 with the closing ceremony at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, the venue that also hosted the opening ceremony of the 1956 Winter Olympics.Check out our latest updates here:Banned Ukrainian Olympian Slams Russian Participation In ParalympicsVladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian skeleton athlete who was banned from competing at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games over his helmet featuring images of fellow athletes killed in Russia’s ongoing invasion, has slammed the participation of Russia in the Winter Paralympics.Heraskevych, writing on social media, said the International Paralympic Committee was giving Russia “the opportunity to continue committing genocide by spreading Russian narratives with Russian flags and symbols.""This whole story is just getting worse and worse,” he added.Multiple countries boycotted Friday's opening ceremony in protest of athletes from Russia and Belarus now being allowed to compete under their own flag at a Winter Games for the first time since Sochi 2014.See All UpdatesClose