Team USA Picks Paralympic Legends as 2026 Flagbearers

Josh Pauls will carry the American flag into the stadium where his grandfather was born, representing everything his family's journey to the United States made possible.

The four-time Paralympic sled hockey champion was chosen alongside seven-time Paralympic medalist Laurie Stephens to lead Team USA at the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony on March 6. Their fellow athletes selected them through a vote led by the Team USA Athletes' Commission.

For Pauls, the moment carries extra meaning. His grandfather left Italy to build a new life in America, and now the 33-year-old captain returns to that homeland as the most decorated sled hockey player in history. "To carry the U.S. flag in the country he was able to come to and make a life for himself, is what America's all about," Pauls said.

This marks his fifth Paralympic Games since debuting at Vancouver 2010. The seven-time world champion will captain the U.S. team as they chase their fifth consecutive Paralympic title.

Stephens brings her own remarkable story to the ceremony. She's competing in her sixth Winter Games, exactly 20 years after her Paralympic debut in Torino 2006, where she won three medals including two golds. The timing feels perfect as she prepares for her final competition before transitioning to coaching.

"To carry the flag at my final Paralympics in Cortina is a full-circle honor," Stephens said. "It's one I'm proud to carry forward as I step into coaching the next generation."

Why This Inspires

The selection process shows something powerful about Paralympic culture. These flagbearers weren't chosen by committee or media vote. Their own teammates and competitors picked them based on character, dedication, and the respect they've earned over years of excellence.

USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland noted they were selected for their "commitment to excellence, dedication and character." That peer recognition might mean more than any medal.

The ceremony itself breaks new ground as the first Paralympic Opening Ceremony ever hosted in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the historic Verona Olympic Arena. It's a fitting stage for athletes who've spent careers proving that limits exist to be redefined.

Together, Pauls and Stephens represent 11 Paralympic medals, countless world championships, and two decades of showing young athletes what's possible when determination meets opportunity.

The Opening Ceremony airs live Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock, and NBC Olympics platforms.