The International Paralympic Committee announced record women's participation at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan Cortina, with 160 women's sports athletes competing across six sports.
The milestone marks the fourth consecutive Winter Games to feature a record number of women's sports athletes.
Women's participation increased by 24 athletes compared to the Beijing 2022 Games. The growth demonstrates expanding opportunities for women's Paralympians throughout winter sports.
"That's fantastic," US wheelchair curler Laura Dwyer said of the record. "As a female, as a mom, as someone injured, it feels amazing to be a part of that, to show the way for others."
Dwyer became paralyzed from the waist down in 2012, after a 1,000-pound tree branch fell on her while on the job as a landscaper. She now competes for Team USA in wheelchair curling.
Five sports are seeing record women's participation this year. Para alpine skiing leads with 57 women's competitors, followed by para cross-country skiing with 65, para biathlon with 45, wheelchair curling with 25, and para snowboard with 15.
Para ice hockey will feature a female athlete for the second consecutive Games and fourth time overall since the sport joined the Paralympic program. The sport remains mixed-gender despite excluding a separate women's competition.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics opened Friday with a ceremony in Verona, Italy, as 616 total athletes from 56 nations compete for 79 medal events through March 15th.
The competition coincides with the Winter Paralympics' 50th anniversary, after the inaugural 1976 Games featured fewer than 200 athletes from 18 countries competing in just two sports.
US Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu and her father Arthur Liu were among those targeted in a spying operation ordered by the Chinese government ahead of the Beijing Olympics, according to the Justice Department.
In March 2022, Arthur Liu told The Associated Press that the FBI had contacted him the previous October, warning him about a Chinese spying scheme as his daughter prepared for her debut Olympics. Arthur subsequently chose not to tell Alysa about the situation, hoping to avoid throwing the then-16-year-old off her game.
"We believed Alysa had a very good chance of making the Olympic team and truly were very scared," the elder Liu said at the time.
The Justice Department later announced charges against five men accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese government, including stalking and harassing Chinese dissidents in the US. A former political refugee, Arthur immigrated to California after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Arthur Liu Took a Stand Against "Chinese Bullying"
By allowing his daughter to compete in Beijing, Arthur said his family took a stand against the Chinese government's bullying.
"This is her moment. This is her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games," Liu said at the time. "I'm not going to let them stop her from going, and I'll do whatever I can to make sure she's safe."
According to Arthur, Alysa received added protection in Beijing. She had at least two people escorting her at all times.
"They are probably just trying to intimidate us, to threaten us not to say anything, to cause trouble and say anything political or related to human rights violations in China," he continued. "I had concerns about her safety. The US government did a good job protecting her."
The USOPC supported Liu's efforts, stating that the safety and security of US athletes remained its "number one priority." Nonetheless, Alysa told her father that a stranger approached her at an Olympic cafeteria in Beijing, later following her and asking her to come back to his apartment.
"I've kind of accepted my life to be like this because of what I chose to do in 1989, to speak up against the government," Arthur said.
"I know the Chinese government will extend their long hands into any corner in the world. I'm going to continue to enjoy life and live life as I want to live. I'm not going to let this push me down, and I'm not going to let them succeed."
Alysa Liu Stages Olympic Comeback After Brief Retirement
After finishing seventh at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Alysa briefly retired from competitive skating.
"Heyyyyy so I'm here to announce that I am retiring from skating," she wrote in a since-deleted social media post. "I started skating when I was 5 so that's about 11 years on the ice and it's been an insane 11 years. A lot of good and a lot of bad but (you know) that's just how it is."
However, the younger Liu staged a remarkable comeback in 2024, rediscovering her love for the sport. She went on to win the 2025 World Championships in Boston, before capturing Olympic gold and ending a 24-year drought for US women's figure skating.
Alysa's triumphant return to the ice four years later proved her father's defiance was not in vain. Now a student-athlete at UCLA, the 20-year-old champion became the first US women's figure skater to win Olympic gold since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
"I'm so intentional now," Liu said this week. "I'm so grounded. Everything I do has a reason for why I do it."
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett was in Italy to watch snowboarder girlfriend Chloe Kim dominate the 2026 Winter Olympics halfpipe qualifiers on Wednesday, posting her winning run to Instagram as she advanced to Thursday's final.
Garrett shared footage of Kim's 90.25-point performance, with Kim subsequently topping the field by nearly three points over Japan's Sara Shimizu. The two-time defending Olympic gold medalist showed no signs of the torn labrum she suffered last month, successfully landing a risky inverted backside 720, massive switch straight air method, cab 1080 stalefish, frontside 900, and inverted indy 540.
"I got her whole run," Garrett said after the judges posted Kim's halfpipe score. "She's amazing."
Garrett and Kim confirmed their relationship last year when she attended a Browns game in November. The 2025 Defensive Player of the Year seems to be enjoying his offseason after breaking the league's single-season sack record last season.
Chloe Kim enters as US Olympic favorite — with Garrett by her side
The 25-year-old is shooting to become the first snowboarder to win Olympic gold at three consecutive Winter Games. She previously topped the halfpipe at PyeongChang 2018 at age 17, later defending her title at Beijing 2022 with a score of 94.00. No athlete has achieved a three-peat — not even legendary halfpipe star Shaun White, who won three non-consecutive golds in 2006, 2010, and 2018.
The Team USA superstar played the qualifying run conservatively, revealing only a few of the tricks expected to feature in her final routine.
"I've landed all the components of my finals run. I just haven't put them together," she said after Wednesday's first-place finish. "So I'll get to do it on the big day."
Myles Garrett will surely be watching on Thursday, as Kim chases history at the 2026 Winter Olympics women's halfpipe final.
Defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony could not complete her bid to become the first woman to win moguls gold twice on Wednesday. Instead, the Australian slipped in the 2026 Winter Olympics final, finishing eighth.
The 27-year-old dominated Tuesday's qualifiers with a score of 81.65, leading after the first final as the field narrowed from 20 to eight. But Anthony subsequently caught an edge after the second final's first jump, spinning out and struggling to finish.
The error dropped her to eighth place, opening the door for Team USA's Elizabeth Lemley to claim gold with a score of 82.30.
Lemley's teammate Jaelin Kauf placed second with 80.77, marking her second consecutive Olympic moguls silver after Beijing 2022. France's Perrine Laffont, the 2018 champion, claimed bronze with 78.00 after barely qualifying for the final.
"I'm bummed, obviously," Anthony said after the fall.
"I think I was skiing and jumping at such a high level and skiing with good speed... I showed that in the first couple rounds, but I just didn't put it down on that last one when it counted."
Jakara Anthony found winning form ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics
Anthony arrived in Cortina as the event favorite after recovering from a collarbone injury that sidelined her during the 2024/25 season.
She won three of four World Cup moguls events this year, leading the FIS overall moguls standings with 26 career World Cup wins. She also broke aerial skier Jacqui Cooper's record for most World Cup victories by an Australian in any discipline.
Anthony opened this year's Winter Games on a high, serving as Australia's flag bearer at last week's Opening Ceremony. The Beijing 2022 gold medalist had hoped to secure Australia's first Olympic medal of 2026.
Despite the setback, Anthony remains Australia's most successful winter athlete in FIS World Cup history with 42 career podiums.
USA Hockey is sending a refreshed lineup to Italy this winter, with Friday's 23-player Olympic roster tapping both newcomers and seasoned veterans looking to avenge 2022's silver-medal finish.
US hockey legend Hilary Knight will play in her fifth — and final — Winter Games next month, with the 36-year-old forward joining fellow veteran mainstays Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein as just 11 players return from the team's Beijing campaign.
After falling just short of gold in Beijing, this year's USA hockey roster balances youth with experience, heading to Milan with a full dozen Olympic debutants, including seven college players — a full four from reigning NCAA champion Wisconsin.
All other 16 athletes currently compete in the PWHL with the pro league sending players from five of its eight teams to join the US squad in February.
The rest of the team focuses on young talent, including University of Wisconsin defender Laila Edwards, who will make history as USA Hockey's first-ever Black woman Olympian when she steps on the ice in Italy.
"It still hasn't really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true," said Edwards.
How to watch Team USA hockey in the 2026 Winter Olympics
The USA will open their 2026 Olympic campaign against Czechia at 10:40 AM ET on February 5th before subsequent Group A games against Finland, Switzerland, and defending champions Canada.
The clash will air live on USA Network as part of the full 2026 Olympic Games coverage across NBC platforms.
USA Hockey's 2026 Olympic roster
Goaltenders: Aerin Frankel (Boston Fleet), Ava McNaughton (University of Wisconsin), Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa Charge)
Defenders: Cayla Barnes (Seattle Torrent), Laila Edwards (University of Wisconsin), Rory Guilday (Ottawa Charge), Caroline Harvey (University of Wisconsin), Megan Keller (Boston Fleet), Lee Stecklein (Minnesota Frost), Haley Winn (Boston Fleet)
Forwards: Hannah Bilka (Seattle Torrent), Alex Carpenter (Seattle Torrent), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Minnesota Frost), Britta Curl-Salemme (Minnesota Frost), Joy Dunne (Ohio State University), Taylor Heise (Minnesota Frost), Tessa Janecke (Penn State University), Hilary Knight (Seattle Torrent), Abbey Murphy (University of Minnesota), Kelly Pannek (Minnesota Frost), Hayley Scamurra (Montréal Victoire), Kirsten Simms (University of Wisconsin), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost)
Canada cruised past Switzerland 10-3 on Monday to advance to the women’s hockey gold-medal game at the Winter Olympics, where they’ll look to avenge their loss to the United States in 2018.
Canada jumped out to an early lead, with Claire Thompson, Jamie Lee Rattray, Renata Fast and Blayre Turnbull scoring four goals in a two-minute span in the first period. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin contributed two goals, while Sarah Nurse had four assists and Emma Maltais recorded her first-ever Olympic goal.
Brianne Jenner joined in on the offensive blitz, tying a record Monday with her ninth goal at a single Olympics.
🚨 GOAL!! Clapper by @briannejenner for her 9th goal of the tournament. She ties the record for most goals in a single women's Olympics. #TeamCanada | #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/yjLb2SuWw6
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) February 14, 2022
Mélodie Daoust returned to the ice for Canada after sustaining an upper-body injury in the team’s Olympic opener.
“Every time I get the honor to wear that Maple Leaf, it’s amazing, and to be able to represent my country being back on the ice for my third Olympics, that’s all I’ve dreamed of,” said Daoust, the MVP of the 2018 Olympic tournament in PyeongChang.
The Canadians, undefeated so far in the tournament, have outscored their opponents 54-8 and every player has tallied at least one point.
Canada will meet U.S. in the Olympic final after the Americans defeated Finland 4-1 in the other semifinal on Monday, marking the sixth time the teams will face each other for the gold medal. Canada has appeared in every gold-medal game since women’s hockey debuted at the Olympics in 1998, winning four golds and two silvers.
The gold-medal game is set for Wednesday at 11:05 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Kaillie Humphries won gold on Sunday in the first-ever women’s monobob event at the Olympics. United States teammate Elana Meyers Taylor earned silver, becoming the oldest American woman to medal at the Winter Olympics at 37 years old.
Bobsled history for @TeamUSA! 🥇🥈@BobsledKaillie and @eamslider24 become the first-ever Olympic gold and silver medalists in the monobob. pic.twitter.com/2JoSZldiD7
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) February 14, 2022
As a result, Humphries and Meyers Taylor became the first women to medal in bobsled at four straight Olympics.
Meyers Taylor, who was in fourth place after her first two runs, made up time during her third and fourth runs to finish in 4:20.81, just ahead of bronze medalist Christine de Bruin of Canada.
Humphries dominated the field, winning by a margin of 1.54 seconds, the largest in Olympic bobsledding in 42 years. She also became the first American to win gold for two countries — USA and Canada — at the Winter Olympics. Humphries, a three-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion, became an American citizen last December and began competing for Team USA after accusing Canadian bobsled coach Todd Hays of mental and verbal abuse.
Humphries and Meyers Taylor will now pair up for the two-woman bobsled event, which begins Friday.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will compete in the women’s individual competition at the Beijing Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of the 15-year-old’s doping case on Monday. The ruling upheld the reversal of an initial provisional suspension stemming from a positive test for a banned substance in December.
The positive test for trimetazidine wasn’t reported until after the Olympics began, allowing Valieva to compete and lead the Russian Olympic Committee to gold in the team event. The medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition was delayed, however, after Vaileva’s positive test was reported. Team USA and Japan took home silver and bronze in the event.
The CAS cited Valieva’s age as a key factor in their ruling. At 15, she is considered a “protected person,” according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The arbitrators added that barring Valieva from competition could cause her “irreparable harm.”
The International Olympic Committee announced Monday that, if Valieva were to finish among the top three skaters, medal ceremonies would not be conducted until her case is resolved. The WADA challenged the decision shortly after Monday’s announcement, and an official ruling on Valieva’s case is not expected until well after the Olympics.
Valieva, who took the ice for a practice session 30 minutes after the ruling, is the heavy favorite to win the women’s individual event in Beijing, which begins Tuesday.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland criticized the CAS’ decision in a statement Monday.
“We are disappointed by the message this decision sends,” she said. “This appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.”
Russian athletes are competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics as part of the Russian Olympic Committee after Russia was penalized for a widespread state-sponsored doping scheme ahead of the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Speed skater Erin Jackson finished first in the 500m final on Sunday, becoming the first American to win gold since Bonnie Blair in 1994.
Jackson is also the first Black woman to win a speed skating gold medal in Olympics history. She joins Shani Davis as the only Black athletes to win speed skating medals at the Olympics.
Jackson finished in a time of 37.04, just .08 ahead of Japan’s Takagi Miho, who set a high bar with a 37.12 earlier in the event. Angelina Golikova of the Russian Olympic Committee took home bronze for her first Olympic medal.
ERIN JACKSON WINS IT!
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 13, 2022
Relive her brilliant speed skating performance to win GOLD for @TeamUSA. 🥇 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/S1hY76c9ii
American teammates Brittany Bowe, who originally gave up her Olympic roster spot to Jackson, finished 16th and Kimi Goetz 18th.
Jackson has been on a roll in the past year. In November, she became the first Black woman to win a World Cup event in speed skating. The next month, she set an American record at a World Cup event in Salt Lake City, completing the 500m in 36.80 seconds. The 29-year-old entered the Beijing Games ranked No. 1 in the world.
A two-time Olympian, Jackson made her Olympic debut in 2018 at the PyeongChang Games, just four months after picking up speed skating.
Slalom gold medalist Petra Vlhová is leaving Beijing early due to an inflamed left ankle tendon. As a result, she will miss the alpine combined event, where she would have been medal favorite Mikaela Shiffrin’s top challenger.
“Having reached her goal of gold in the slalom and considering this small physical problem, we are putting the priority on her next goals, and we don’t want to risk making things worse by aiming for a medal in the combined,” Mauro Pini, Vlhová’s coach, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Pini added that 26-year-old wants to go home and have time to “share this medal with those closest to her.”
The World Cup skiing circuit will resume after the Olympics, with Vlhová trailing Shiffrin by just 17 points in the overall standings. She became the first Slovakian to win the overall title last season.
Vlhová had already sat out of Super-G and the first downhill training session. The second was postponed due to heavy snowfall.