The Winter Paralympics at 50: How Can the Movement Thrive Going Forward? The Winter Paralympics has come a long way in its 50-year development - but there are structural challenges that must be addressed to ensure a healthy future for the event over the next 50 years.

Executive Summary

The Winter Paralympics is 50 years old and facing four structural challenges that risk undermining its long-term viability: climate-threatened March scheduling, gender inequity, a limited sports programme, and the ongoing exclusion of athletes with intellectual impairments.


A Games scheduled in March is increasingly incompatible with climate projections for viable host cities by 2050; moving to January or February requires a difficult but necessary renegotiation of the IOC-IPC relationship.


Female athletes account for only 26% of Winter Paralympians, comparing poorly with both the Winter Olympics (47%) and the direction of travel in the Summer Paralympic Games.


The Winter Paralympic programme is dominated by snow-based sports accessible only to a narrow group of geographically advantaged and resource-rich nations; adding more ice-based disciplines could significantly broaden global participation.


Athletes with intellectual impairments have been absent from the Winter Paralympic programme despite being included in the Summer Games since 2012, with no credible classification argument for their continued exclusion.