National Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled Opens in Gangwon on the 27th with 1,127 Participants

Competing in Seven Disciplines Until the 30th

The 23rd National Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled will be held across Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province from January 27 to January 30, 2026.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, hosted by the Korea Paralympic Committee, and organized by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, this event will see a total of 1,127 participants (486 athletes and 641 officials and staff) from 17 cities and provinces competing in seven winter sports disciplines. Cross-country skiing, biathlon, alpine skiing, and snowboarding events will take place at the Pyeongchang Alpensia Biathlon Center and Phoenix Park. Ice hockey and curling will be held at the Gangneung Hockey and Curling Center, while short track speed skating will take place at the Chuncheon Songam Sports Town Ice Rink.

The National Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled was first held in 2004. Since then, it has served as a platform for athletes with disabilities to showcase and develop their skills, contributing to the spread of winter sports culture among people with disabilities.

In particular, this year's event will feature many of South Korea's top winter para-athletes, who are scheduled to compete at the 14th Milano-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics in March 2026.

The slogan for this year's festival is "Challenge Toward Your Dream! Soar in Gangwon!" All events are open to the public free of charge. Detailed information on the event schedule and venue locations can be found on the official website of the National Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled, while news and on-site stories are available on the official blog of the Korea Paralympic Committee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.