Two Tuscan athletes competing at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games

Two athletes from Tuscany are competing at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which began on 6 March and will continue until 15 March across venues in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Predazzo and Milan.

Jacopo Luchini, a snowboarder from Montemurlo in the province of Prato, and Marco Pisani, from Bagno a Ripoli near Florence, are part of the Italian delegation of 42 athletes and three guides. It is the largest Italian team ever fielded at the Winter Paralympics. The Games’ opening ceremony was held at the Arena di Verona.

Luchini aiming for first Paralympic medal

For Jacopo Luchini, born in 1990, this is his third Paralympic appearance after competing in PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. On both occasions he finished close to the podium without securing a medal.

Luchini competes in the SB-UL category, for athletes with upper-limb impairments, and is among the top-ranked riders internationally in snowboard cross. He has collected several World Cup podium finishes and world titles during his career.

In the weeks leading up to the Games he won the banked slalom event in Steamboat, in the United States, confirming his strong form. At the Paralympics in Cortina he is scheduled to compete in snowboard cross on 7–8 March and in the banked slalom on 14 March.

Pisani’s Paralympic debut

Marco Pisani is making his Paralympic debut in the Nordic skiing events. A member of the Italian armed forces, he was injured during a mission in Iraq in 2019 and lost his left leg after an attack.

After the injury he returned to sport and began training in cross-country skiing through the Italian Defence Paralympic Sports Group. Pisani competes in the sitting category, which uses a sit-ski, in both cross-country skiing and biathlon.

In the Paralympic biathlon format, athletes combine skiing with rifle shooting, aiming from a distance of 10 metres at targets measuring 13 millimetres in diameter for athletes with physical impairments.

Races in Val di Fiemme and Cortina

The Nordic skiing and biathlon competitions are taking place at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Val di Fiemme, in the province of Trento, while all snowboard events are hosted in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Biathlon races, including sprint and individual events, opened the competition programme in Tesero between 7 and 13 March. Cross-country skiing events began on 10 March and continue through the end of the Games on 15 March.

For Tuscany, the Milan–Cortina Paralympics bring together two different sporting paths: the experience of Luchini, already established among the leading riders on the international circuit, and the first Paralympic participation of Pisani, part of a national team that combines experienced athletes with newcomers.

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