Winter Paralympics closes with memorable ceremony
This year's Games, which marked its 50th anniversary after the first edition in Sweden in 1974, featured a record 611 athletes from 55 nations in 79 medal events across six sports. The ceremony, entitled 'Italian Souvenir', celebrated the Games and the achievements of all the athletes with a mix of music, dance and lights. In his closing speech, International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons paid tribute to the Italian public and the organising committee for the legacy they have created.
But he reserved special praise for the competitors. The Great Britain flag is brought into the ceremony in Cortina by Para-skiers Neil Simpson and Rob Poth and wheelchair curler Jo Butterfield "You rose above pressure, expectation and global tension to keep the focus where it belongs: on you and your sport," said Parsons. "You expanded the imagination of the world.
You have shown that excellence is universal and that determination knows no boundaries. "The Games have not only celebrated sport - they reminded us that when we focus on human potential, sport can unite and empower us in ways few other things can. " The Paralympic flag was also passed to the French Alps 2030 organising committee who will stage the next winter Games, before the flames in both Milan and Cortina were extinguished.
There have been plenty of talking points throughout these Games and BBC Sport looks at some of the memorable moments. Milan-Cortina saw Russian athletes compete under their nation's flag for the first time since 2014 after the International Paralympic Committee lifted its suspension of the country in September. The country and its athletes had been banned following the state-sponsored doping scandal, while further sanctions followed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
But their participation in the Alpine and cross-country skiing events at the Games was not without controversy. Skier Varvara Voronchikhina won Russia's first gold of the Games A number of nations - including Ukraine - boycotted the opening ceremony in Verona. A later incident came on the medal podium when German cross-country skier Linn Kazmaier and her guide Florian Baumann turned their backs in protest to Russia's Anastasiia Bagiian and her guide Sergei Siniakin after the Russians won gold in their women's sprint classic vision impaired event.