Paralympics, ice hockey, Italia 5-2 victory over Germany. Canada gold in curling

3-2 for the Azzurri, signed by Nikko Landeros

Last period at the start. It starts with a draw. Fifteen minutes to try and score the winning goal.

He shoots with three seconds left Mark Ideson. And he hits home. Canada, 4-3 against China, is Paralympic champion.

Only two stones to go before the end of the match, and the situation is still tied.

The second period ended in a draw. After the interval, 15 minutes remained for the Azzurri to try and take the lead.

With just over a minute to go in the second period.

They had to exploit numerical superiority to catch up with the Azzurri.

After the end of the curling finals, a race against time will begin in the Cortina d'Ampezzo ice stadium to prepare, in 24 hours, the closing ceremony that will start tomorrow at 20:30 and last just under two hours. The protagonists, explains the director of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies Maria Laura Iascone, will be the athletes: 'We will pay tribute to them, the medallists will become protagonists. We will give them a great memory thanks to the successes they have brought home'. First, however, there will be running. "It will be a challenge from an organisational point of view," confirms Iascone, in order to bring the last act of the Games to one of the most popular venues in the entire five-circle programme. If the Olympics opened on 6 February in Milan at the San Siro, which shortly after celebrating its 100th anniversary is preparing to be demolished, the Paralympics will close in a stadium that seventy years ago hosted the Cortina Games and which has seen a revival with this event: "It is an iconic venue, it represents a symbol and allows us to tell the story of the 70 years since the 1956 Olympics," assures Iascone. First the ice will have to be covered and the stage assembled, then the general rehearsals. Little set design, a lot of work will be done on choreography, also with impact projections. All this will take place in a 3,700-seat arena, but one that will heat up quickly, as anyone who has watched curling matches knows. "The concept will be 'Italian souvenir'," explains the director of ceremonies, "we want to leave a souvenir to the whole world of what the Olympics and Paralympics were like. It will be a big party, which will end with a concert by Planet Funk'. Arisa is also on the bill.

Blue's own goal in a back pass to the goalkeeper, Stillitano.

Nikko Landeros put things back on track. The Azzurri equalised at the start of the second period.

A point to recover for the Azzurri, but the cheering helps.

Paralimpiadi Milano-Cortina 2026 - Hockey su ghiaccio paralimpico - Finale per il 5°-6° posto - Italia contro Germania - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milano, Italia - 14 marzo 2026. I tifosi italiani reagiscono sugli spalti. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

At the end of the sixth end. Seventh end at the start with hammer to China, at a disadvantage.

At the sixth end we start again in a tie.

Mirko Bianchi's Italia had to reorganise during the first interval, ending the first period one goal behind.

At the end of the fourth end, before the long break. Hammer to China.

German goal when there were 5:50 minutes left in the first period. Hering scores the 1-0.

Mirko Bianchi's Italia was unable to exploit the double numeric superiority, but it attacked. It attacks a lot. Three posts so far for us, in attempts to shoot at the net.

Full cross by Nikko Landeros, when there were nine minutes to go in the first end.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend the Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, scheduled to take place at the Cortina curling olympic stadium tomorrow at 8.30 pm.

A match worth fifth place at the Paralympics. The hockey Azzurry have already beaten the Germans 2-1 in the past few days.

It was back to even at the end of the third end, after a small Canadian error and a stone slipping out.

The Azzurri mixed curling team trained with loud noises in the hall and jammers in their ears, before arriving in Milan Cortina. The goal? To get used to the (expected) home cheers, but above all to the now legendary screams of the Chinese players on the pitch.

Paralimpiadi Milano-Cortina 2026 - Curling in carrozzina - Finale per la medaglia d'oro a squadre miste - Cina contro Canada - Stadio Olimpico del Curling di Cortina, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italia - 14 marzo 2026. La cinese Nana Li reagisce mentre la canadese Collinda Joseph osserva. REUTERS/Matteo Ciambelli

Canada placed a stone in the second end and took the lead. The Chinese shouted, almost as if they wanted to push their stone over the rink - in weelchair curling once the stone has been thrown, it is not possible to sweep the ice to adjust the shot - but it was not enough.

Paralimpiadi Milano-Cortina 2026 - Curling in carrozzina - Finale per la medaglia d'oro a squadre miste - Cina contro Canada - Stadio Olimpico del Curling di Cortina, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italia - 14 marzo 2026. La cinese Nana Li reagisce mentre la canadese Collinda Joseph osserva. REUTERS/Matteo Ciambelli

Balanced match, the first end went scoreless. Second end in progress.

The mixed team weelchair curling final begins, which will decide the first two steps of the podium.

"I'm still happy with how it went, that I played it out. It's obvious that eight hundredths hurt, but that's sport," commented the Italian after the second run of the vision impaired giant slalom, off the podium by a whisker. "Our day will come, we will always try," supports her guide Ylenia Sabidussi.

Off the podium, by eight hundredths, Martina Vozza, led by Ylenia Sabidussi in the women's Paralympic slalom for visually impaired athletes.

Very soon the second run of the women's slalom. In the race Martina Vozza among the visually impaired athletes, currently third after the first downhill. Chiara Mazzel went out after straddling a gate.

"It's a great race compared to four years ago," says Michele Biglione, first fractionalist. "Obviously we don't have a competitive team, because in this race anyway those who go for the win have strong blinds that give a big hand, we sit and struggle in this race. But we gave it our all, I'm satisfied with how it went. And it's good for the team spirit,' the Italian concluded.

PIAZZI GMT/CIP

The 4x2.5 km open cross-country relay team with Cristian Toninelli, Mattia Dal Pastro, Michele Biglione and Marco Pisani finished ninth. On the podium were China, Germany and Norway. Fourth place to Ukraine.

Martina Vozza (guide Ylenia Sabidussi) was 3rd at the end of the first run of the vision impaired slalom. Waiting for the second downhill, scheduled shortly after 1pm.

Scaccini GMT CIP

Chiara Mazzel (led by Fabrizio Casal) exited the course at the end of the first heat in the visually impaired women's slalom. No medals for her today, who had so far stood on the podium four times in four races in Milan Cortina.

Penultimo giorno di gare paralimpiche allo stadio del fondo del lago di Tesero dove attualmente sta cadendo una leggera pioggia. Alle 11.15 parte la staffetta open 4x2,5 km. Dodici squadre al via, per i colori azzurri partiranno Cristian Toninelli e Mattia Dal Pastro nella categoria standing, Michele Biglione e Marco Pisani per il sitting. La formula prevede un giro di pista ciascuno, diversificato nella distanza a seconda della categoria degli atleti: 2.470 metri per gli atleti seduti e 2.610 per quelli in piedi e una differenza di quota, tra il punto più basso e il punto più alto di un tratto ascendente, per i sitting di 9 metri, per gli standing di 20 metri.

Here are the men and women Azzurri competing today, Saturday 14 March 2026:

- Alpine Skiing (Venue: Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Cortina)

Further reading

Paralympics: Luchini, Perathoner and De Silvestro gold. Bertagnolli silver. Italian record

13 March 2026