What: Paralympics, elite sports competition for people with disabilities.
Where: Milan and Cortina, Italy.
When: March 6-15.
TV: SVT1/SVT2/SVT Play.
+ Number of participants
665 athletes from 52 countries.
+ Sports
In the Paralympics, athletes compete in six sports - alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.
+ Sweden's squad
Sweden is sending 13 athletes - nine of whom competed in the 2022 Paralympics.
Alpine: Aaron Lindström, Arvid Skoglund, Elijah Primak, Ebba Årsjö.
Cross-country and biathlon: Arnt-Christian Furuberg, Zebastian Modin, Alice Morelius, Ellen Westerlund.
Wheelchair curling: Marcus Holm, Ronny Persson, Viljo Petersson Dahl, Kristina Ulander, Sabina Johansson.
+ Three Swedish medal hopes
In 2022, Sweden won seven medals and now there is a chance for even more. Three medal hopefuls to keep an eye out for are alpine skier Ebba Årsjö, cross-country skier Zebastian Modin and the wheelchair curling team.
Ebba Årsjö had her big international breakthrough during her debut in Beijing 2022 - with two golds and a bronze. Since the Winter Games, she has won eight World Cup golds and two overall World Cup titles in recent years. This year she is going for gold in slalom, giant slalom and combined.
Zebastian Modin is one of Sweden's greatest winter Paralympians of all time with eight medals in four Paralympics. Modin's first Games were in Vancouver at the age of 15, where he won bronze in the sprint. In Beijing he won one silver and two bronze. He competes in biathlon and cross-country skiing - but has yet to win a gold medal in the Paralympics.
In Beijing, the Swedish team won silver in wheelchair curling after losing to China. The team now includes the accomplished Ronny Persson, who has four silver and four bronze medals from the Paralympics.
The Swedish Paralympic Committee has set a goal of four medals at the Paralympics.
+ Twentieth medal for the American?
Oksana Masters of the United States has competed in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics. The 36-year-old is a seven-time Paralympian and has won 19 medals in cross-country skiing, biathlon, cycling and rowing. Fourteen of those medals have come in the Winter Paralympics.
+ Major boycott of the opening ceremony
Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete under their national flags. This has prompted the Ukrainian team to boycott the opening ceremony - along with Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Germany. Sweden will not boycott - but will not participate in the opening ceremony either.
Previously, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) barred Ukraine's athletes and leaders from wearing a jacket adorned with the country's map during the Paralympics - as the IPC considered the jacket to be political and in violation of the rules.
During the Olympics in Italy in February, Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned by the International Olympic Committee because he wanted to compete in a helmet with images of Ukrainian war victims.
+ 50 years ago in Örnsköldsvik
The Paralympics are celebrating their 50th anniversary. The first competition was held in Örnsköldsvik in 1976. 198 athletes from 16 countries competed in cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. Sweden won 20 medals, six of which were gold.
+ Stockholm Central Station is painted blue-yellow
During the Paralympics, Stockholm Central Station will be transformed into the “Paralympic Station.” The games will be broadcast live on a big screen, and on March 16, the location will be the official reception for the athletes - starting at 6:30 p.m.
