Milan Cortina will host the 2026 Winter Paralympics from March 6–15, and the Games promise more than fierce competition: they’ll be a stage for visibility and change. Over 600 athletes from 56 countries will compete across six sports and 79 medal events, but among them three openly queer athletes—cross-country skier Jake Adicoff, wheelchair curler Jo Butterfield and para-alpine racer Michael O’Hearn—bring stories that go beyond medals. Their presence highlights how elite para sport and LGBTQ+ representation intersect, shaping conversations about access, media coverage and who gets to be seen at the top.
Jake Adicoff: aiming high while being seen
Jake Adicoff arrives in Milan with ambitions as bold as his public stance. He’s targeting multiple golds on the cross-country tracks and, equally deliberately, choosing to compete openly as a queer athlete. For Adicoff, visibility isn’t a side project—it’s part of the platform he’s built through steady training, clearer goals and a growing confidence in his preparation.
He frames his performance goals alongside a wider push: showing that authenticity and elite results are compatible. That challenges long-standing habits in national programs and media coverage that tend to reward familiar narratives. Adicoff’s dual profile tests whether elite sport can make room for athletes who are both world-class competitors and unapologetically themselves—without penalizing either their identities or their results.
Jo Butterfield: from Rio gold to the curling sheet
Jo Butterfield’s sporting life reads like a masterclass in reinvention. A Paralympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the F51 club throw at Rio 2016, she later switched seasons and disciplines—an uncommon path that now sees her competing in mixed doubles wheelchair curling with partner Jason Kean. Their chemistry on the ice has become central to their results, and Butterfield is chasing an achievement few athletes manage: medalling at both summer and winter Games.
Her introduction to sport came through rehabilitation after spinal surgery to remove a tumour left her with paralysis. The skills she developed—upper-body strength, spatial awareness and a tactical mindset—translate surprisingly well onto the curling sheet. If she reaches the podium in Milan, it will underline how adaptable athletes can be when systems allow fluid development between sports. Butterfield’s journey also exposes where talent pipelines and funding remain rigid, hinting at the potential that could be unlocked with more flexible support.
Michael O’Hearn: a debut built on resilience
Michael O’Hearn makes his Paralympic debut in para-alpine skiing, competing in the standing categories with a focus on technical races like slalom. Born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a condition that affects joint mobility and muscle development, he began skiing young and calls the slopes a refuge and source of purpose. His selection follows years of targeted training and technical adaptation.
O’Hearn’s story is quieter in some ways than the headline-grabbing switches or medal hunts, but it’s no less powerful. It spotlights how individual sports foster a different kind of team cohesion—where personal resilience, specialist coaching and precise equipment choices combine to produce performance. Observers will be watching how his technical preparation holds up under race pressure, and how his presence contributes to the team’s broader dynamic.
Beyond podiums: why these stories matter
Visible queer athletes at a major winter para-sports event shift expectations about who belongs at the highest levels. When competitors like Adicoff, Butterfield and O’Hearn are open about their identities and experiences, they become tangible role models for young people navigating disability and sexual or gender identity. That visibility has practical implications: it affects policy conversations around anti-discrimination, mental-health support and athlete services within national federations and international bodies.
Media coverage plays a big role here. Which events get long live windows, which athletes receive feature-length profiles and which moments are clipped into highlight reels will influence who attracts sponsors and who inspires the next generation of athletes. Broadcasters in different markets are mixing live streams, highlight packages and evening roundups to balance reach with storytelling, but editorial choices inevitably shape which narratives dominate.
Sporting program and coverage notes
The Winter Paralympic program includes para-alpine skiing, wheelchair curling, para-snowboard, para-biathlon, para-cross-country skiing and para-ice hockey. Across those six disciplines there are 79 medal events, each carrying the potential to elevate athletes into public view. Broadcasters aim to combine broad live coverage for marquee competitions with on-demand clips for niche events—an approach intended to serve both casual viewers and those seeking deeper context about classification and athlete journeys.
Jake Adicoff: aiming high while being seen
Jake Adicoff arrives in Milan with ambitions as bold as his public stance. He’s targeting multiple golds on the cross-country tracks and, equally deliberately, choosing to compete openly as a queer athlete. For Adicoff, visibility isn’t a side project—it’s part of the platform he’s built through steady training, clearer goals and a growing confidence in his preparation.0
Jake Adicoff: aiming high while being seen
Jake Adicoff arrives in Milan with ambitions as bold as his public stance. He’s targeting multiple golds on the cross-country tracks and, equally deliberately, choosing to compete openly as a queer athlete. For Adicoff, visibility isn’t a side project—it’s part of the platform he’s built through steady training, clearer goals and a growing confidence in his preparation.1
Jake Adicoff: aiming high while being seen
Jake Adicoff arrives in Milan with ambitions as bold as his public stance. He’s targeting multiple golds on the cross-country tracks and, equally deliberately, choosing to compete openly as a queer athlete. For Adicoff, visibility isn’t a side project—it’s part of the platform he’s built through steady training, clearer goals and a growing confidence in his preparation.2