The Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics will air on USA Network and stream on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms on Friday, March 6. A replay presentation will air on NBC in primetime on Saturday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET. 

• Date: March 6
• Venue: Verona Olympic Arena
• TV channels: USA (March 6), NBC (March 7)
• Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Sports app 

Coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics will kick off at 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network with a preview show. The Opening Ceremony will air live at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network. 

The complete Opening and Closing Ceremonies schedule, including TV listings, also is available on the NBC Olympics schedule page.

All live streams also are available to watch on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices via the Peacock, NBC and NBC Sports apps.

Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony will be shown on USA Network. On Saturday, tape-delayed coverage of the Opening Ceremony will be shown on NBC.

The full TV listings for the Opening Ceremony can be found on the NBCOlympics.com schedule page by clicking the toggle at the top to “TV Only.”  

The 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympics Opening Ceremony will be the first ever Paralympic Ceremony to be hosted in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Arena di Verona (Verona Olympic Arena) was built around 30-50 CE, predating the Roman Colosseum. 

Hosted in the magnificent Verona Olympic Arena, the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Opening Ceremony will be guided by the theme "Life in Motion." The theme is a tribute to life as a system of change and transformation, and connecting ability to the harmony of people and environment. 

The Ceremony's message will resonate as both an extraordinary performance, but also a representation of the intertwined nature of sport, society, artistic expression, and the ways that they continue to promote inclusion, resilience, respect, solidarity and passion across the world.

The Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Games will be directed by Italian writer and creative Alfredo Accatino, who also was responsible for directing the Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games. 

The Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Games will have a number of performers, both Italian and international. Among the biggest names announced are Stewart Copeland, drummer of hit band The Police, and Meduza, the acclaimed Italian house music trio.