Are & Ostersund to host 2023 Para Snow Sports Worlds

Are and Ostersund, Sweden, will jointly host the 2023 World Para Snow Sports Championships in January 2023.

The Para alpine skiing and Para snowboard Worlds will take place in Are, while Ostersund will be home to the Para Nordic Skiing Worlds – featuring biathlon and cross-country events.

A total of 750 participants, including athletes, guides and coaching staff, are expected to take part in the World Championships.

“For me it feels great to be able to compete at home! But this will be great for everyone, there are some really nice venues here. At the same time, I believe that the competitions will help us making Para sports grow. That’s a clear benefit of hosting the Championships in one region.”

It is the first time Sweden will host a World Championships in Para alpine skiing and Para snowboard, and the second in Para Nordic skiing, following Solleftea in 2013.

Both Are and Ostersund have a long tradition in organising winter sports competition. In 2019, Are was the host city of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships while Ostersund hosted the IBU World Championships in Biathlon.

Dimitrije Lazarovski, Head of World Para Snow Sports, said:

“Sweden have hosted a series of successful Para snow sports competitions for years and we are extremely happy to announce that Are and Ostersund will organise the World Championships in 2023. We have worked with the Local Organising Committee in previous opportunities and know that athletes and fans can expect amazing events.

“Bringing together all Para snow sports World Championships to the same region is a great way to increase the visibility of the sports and the host city, provide more commercial opportunities and attract new fans. These are exciting times for us.”

Fredrik Andersson, Swedish Paralympic Committee Sport Manager said:

“The region is very good for these competitions, we’ve got a really good situation for hosting the Championships here. In a way it’s almost going to be like hosting the Paralymics - I mean it’s just going to be two less sports really.”

Zebastian Modin, Swedish Paralympic Nordic skier based in Ostersund, said:

“For me it feels great to be able to compete at home! But this will be great for everyone, there are some really nice venues here. At the same time, I believe that the competitions will help us making Para sports grow, it will get a bigger impact. That’s a clear benefit of hosting the championships in one region.”

Lillehammer, Norway, will host the next edition of the World Para Snow Sports Championships in February 2021.