Great Britain 'need to be realistic' about winter sports prospects after 'tough' Paralympic Games at Milano Cortina
Published 15/03/2026 at 18:22 GMT
UK Sport director of performance, Dr Kate Baker, has questioned the direction of the British winter Paralympic programme, warning that they must be "realistic" over future expectations. ParalympicsGB took home only one silver medal from the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, which was won by Alpine skier Neil Simpson. ParalympicsGB chef de mission, Phil Smith, called it a "tough" Games.
Watch as Simpson, Poth storm Team GB to first medal at Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics
Video credit: TNT Sports
ParalympicsGB will look to improve on the solitary silver medal they won at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games when they head to the French Alps in 2030.
Neil Simpson, alongside his guide Rob Porth, won the silver medal in the men’s visually impaired Alpine combination skiing, the only success Britain had in Italy.
The team fell short of their goal of two to five medals at the Games, and UK Sport - which determines public funding for the Olympic and Paralympic Games - are set to raise the performance targets for the next Paralympic cycle.
"I don’t think we could ever be disappointed in this group, but I think we’re all committed to making sure that performance happens [at the 2030 Games]," UK Sport director of performance Dr Kate Baker said.
"Performance is the thing that gives us the platform to do all of the other important stuff that we’re doing out here.
"Of course, we remain committed to Winter Paralympic sport, but it’s also important that we do things in a way which is efficient and effective."
Although Baker looked ahead with optimism as UK Sport prepares its review process, which should be completed by the summer, she warned that ParalympicsGB "need to be realistic" about their future prospects as a non-winter sports country.
"For disciplines like slalom and curling, you can do those in the UK," Baker said. "You can do it at a dry slope or you can do it at a low peak.
"I think we need to be realistic about our prospects across a wider range beyond that. Getting out on snow is a challenge. It’s a challenge because of Schengen restrictions. It’s a challenge because of climate change. But it’s an absolute non-negotiable.
"[Without that] we’re not going to be blessed with a wide base of people who are going to meet the classification and be physiologically the kind of specimen that would be required to be successful."
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Chef de mission of ParalympicsGB, Phil Smith, felt that the team were unlucky not to pick up more medals in what has been a "tough" Paralympic programme. However, he remained optimistic about GB's chances in 2030.
"I still believe there’s a lot of positives that we can take from this going forward," he said. "If you ran this week again, we could [have been] in the middle of that target with just a little bit more luck.
"I don’t think we need to completely start fresh, but I do think there are some areas that the sport will need to look at.
"I think we would obviously want to say it after this week, but in 2030 there is an opportunity for us to continue to lay a marker down that we can be really competitive in Winter Paralympic sport."
Watch a daily 2026 Paralympic Games highlights show live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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