Winter Paralympics 2026: Andrea Macrì, Italy’s former fencer leading home hopes for Para ice hockey podium

Andrea Macrì has done just about everything.

Before he became the face of Italian Para ice hockey, the 34-year-old competed as a wheelchair fencer, narrowly missing out on a team bronze medal at London 2012.

Macrì’s journey also goes beyond sport: he is a former banker and even a wine expert, gaining experience working as a sommelier during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a man who has accomplished so much inside and out of sport, his outstanding goal is to become a Paralympic medallist. That is what he hopes awaits at Milano Cortina 2026, Macrì’s fifth Games and fourth on the ice.

"The opportunity is there, and we have to try and seize it,” Macrì told Olympics.com in an interview in Italian. “We have a better chance than in PyeongChang [2018], where we finished fourth. Some powerhouses remain, others less so. We need training, consistency, and to not concede even an inch of ice.”

Macrì has already created special memories for his home Games. As the Azzurri’s assistant captain and a Milano Cortina 2026 ambassador, he lit the Paralympic flame alongside four-time Para Alpine skiing medallist Millie Knight.

Now set to compete in front of a raucous home crowd at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Macrì and co. are focused on claiming a historic maiden medal in Para ice hockey.

Winter Paralympics 2026: Para ice hockey takes centre stage in Milano - full schedule and how to watch live

Winter Paralympics 2026: Key storylines and athletes to watch

Milano Cortina 2026 – How Andrea Macrì rose to the challenge of Para ice hockey

Macrì has been a sports fanatic his whole life. After sustaining a spinal injury aged 17 and undergoing three surgeries, he tried out a range of sports using his new wheelchair.

The Italian delved into the worlds of rowing, basketball and tennis, but wheelchair fencing was the first to really seize his attention. Soon after, Para ice hockey entered the frame, both of which would lead the Turin native to the Paralympic Games.

"It was an optional initiative for all patients in the spinal unit,” he explained. “Some activities were offered inside the unit and others outside. That's how I discovered the world of fencing. I also learned about hockey through a teammate who invited me to play. I started practising both at the same time during my rehabilitation in 2009.”

While he excelled in the two sports, it soon became unfeasible to continue competing in both. Macrì could pursue a career in either, though not concurrently.

He continued: “I decided to pursue both because I was able to fit them both into my schedule. At a certain point, the level rose significantly, and I was asked to make a choice. I had to consider which would allow me to have a career outside of sport. Now in Italy, there are great opportunities for athletes, even at the Paralympic level.”

Macrì’s transition from the piste to the ice was seamless. He went from competing at the Summer Games to the winter edition in two years, and is now positioned as one of the decorated leaders of the Italian Para ice hockey team.

“Paralympic sport also gives people over 40 years old the opportunity to participate in sports," he said. "Our team will even include players who were at Turin 2006. Having previous experience leads you to have higher expectations and also the chance to experience the event itself with fewer surprises.”

Milano Cortina 2026 – Macrì and Italy, continuing their late captain’s legacy

When it comes to Para ice hockey in Italy, there is one player forever intertwined with guiding the sport’s trajectory to where it is now. Andrea ‘Chaz’ Chiarotti, the former national team captain, was a key figure before he passed away in 2018.

Macrì and Chiarotti were on the Italian team together at Sochi 2014, which were Macrì’s first Games in Para ice hockey, while his teammate and friend was the flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony.

Both hailing from Turin, where Chiarotti made his Paralympic debut, there will be a bittersweet motivation to honour the team’s eternal captain at the first Italian Games in two decades.

"He was hockey and will always be,” Macrì said of his close friend. “He's the person we remember in every game. We're not paid, but we're recognised as athletes. We have more resources now than when he started.

“We play hockey because we love it. We make a lot of sacrifices because we want to. Our role as players is to give 100 per cent every day, trying to arrive at Milano Cortina 2026 at our best.”

Competition will undoubtedly be rife in the eight-team field, from four-time reigning gold medallists USA to 2024 world champions Canada. Macrì also singles out the People’s Republic of China and Czechia as medal contenders.

Looking ahead to Milano Cortina 2026, he concluded: “It's something I'm experiencing from two different perspectives: professional and sporting. I'm not experiencing it with fear, but with great expectations. I want to step onto the ice and see the fans filling up the stands.”

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