LOCALIZE IT: The Paralympics continue through Sunday. Find athletes with ties to your community

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

The Winter Paralympics officially started on Friday, celebrating it’s 50th anniversary, with the opening ceremony in Verona, Italy.

Five decades after some 200 athletes competed in two sports at the inaugural 1976 Ornskoldsvik Winter Paralympics in Sweden, more than 600 athletes — a record number — are expected to participate across six sports at Milan Cortina through March 15.

They are competing across six sports: Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Para snowboard and wheelchair curling.

In the skiing sports — Para alpine skiing, Para biathlon, Para cross-country skiing — athletes compete in one of three categories: standing, sitting (on a sit-ski or monoski) or vision impaired (who race following a guide connected via radio).

Guides also receive medals.

Within each of these three categories skiers compete in different divisions depending on their functional ability. A results calculation system determines the factored time of each athlete, which allows athletes from different divisions to race against each other.

China staged the Paralympics four years ago in Beijing and set a medals record at a single Winter Games of 61. China is favored to dominate again.

The closing ceremony on March 15 is at the renovated Cortina Curling Stadium, a former venue of the 1956 Winter Olympics.

READ AND FOLLOW AP'S COVERAGE

Milan Cortina Paralympics guide: Winter Games celebrate 50 years and Russian flag returns

AP Newsroom: 2026 Winter Games

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Oksana Masters roars to Paralympic redemption at Milan Cortina with 11th gold medal 3/10

Iran says skier deeply disappointed at missing Paralympics because of war 3/10

Sweden’s Aaron Lindström to remain hospitalized after big crash at Milan Cortina Paralympics 3/10

US ‘rock star’ Paralympic skier wins silver for his late twin brother 3/9

US captain Erica McKee’s resolve puts women’s ice hockey on 2030 Paralympics track 3/9

US Paralympian Huckaby brings glitter and a snowboard with photos of her cat named ‘Mouse’ 3/9

Russian anthem rings out at Paralympics for first time in 12 years after Voronchikhina takes gold 3/9

Photo highlights from the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics 3/9

What does it mean to win gold at the Paralympics? Ask snowboard great Hernandez and her daughter 3/8

US and British curlers overcome tree accident and tumor, join record number of women at Paralympics 3/8

FIND YOUR STATE: ATHLETES WITH TIES AROUND THE US

This spreadsheet includes Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes, their hometowns and where they attended school.

Or view Team USA Olympians and Paralympians using AP’s Hometown Heroes interactive.

The District of Columbia and the following states have ties to hometowns of Team USA Paralympians:

ALASKA

ARIZONA

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

IDAHO

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

IOWA

MAINE

MARYLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

MICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

MONTANA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTH DAKOTA

OHIO

OREGON

PENNSYLVANIA

TEXAS

UTAH

VERMONT

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

WISCONSIN

WYOMING

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

Snowboarder Brenna Huckaby has ‘nothing left to prove’ as she chases more Paralympic gold in Cortina 3/7

American Oksana Masters in ‘shock’ after winning 20th Paralympic medal at Milan Cortina Games 3/7

Para alpine skiers Voronchikhina and Bugaev give Russia its first Paralympic medals in 12 years 3/7

Russian flag returns as Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics open amid Iran war and boycott 3/7

Iran won’t compete at Milan Cortina Paralympics as its only athlete can’t travel safely to Italy 3/6

Memories of twin inspire Paralympian Patrick Halgren to spread good vibes — one sticker at a time 3/6

A guide to the six sports at the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics 3/6

IPC hails biggest Winter Paralympics ever and record female participation at Milan Cortina Games 3/5

Paralympians try to focus on Milan Cortina Games amid tensions over Iran war, return of Russian flag 3/5

Winter Paralympics 50th anniversary: Chinese dominance expected amid boycotts over Russian flag 3/5

Curling rocked again as 2 stones are stolen at the Milan Cortina Paralympics 3/4

Figure skaters with disabilities seek a place in the Paralympic spotlight 3/3

End the ban: France backs return of intellectually disabled athletes to Winter Paralympics 3/2

Tennis stars in Dubai and Paralympians face travel issues as Middle East war continues 3/2

Double duty: Masters and select group of Paralympians compete in both Summer and Winter Games 3/1

Turmoil-hit 2030 French Alps Olympics lose CEO Cyril Linette in leadership shake-up 2/25

Localize It is a resource produced regularly by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org. View guides published in the last 30 days here.

Rene de Silvestro, of Italy, competes in the alpine skiing men's downhill sitting competition at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Silver medalist Audrey Pascual Seco, of Spain, from left, gold medalist Anna-Lena Forster, of Germany, and bronze medalist Liu Sitong, of China, pose on the podium of the alpine skiing women's downhill sitting competition at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Francesca Porcellato holds a Paralympic torch to light the Paralympic cauldron during the 2026 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Gold medalist Jeroen Kampschreur, right, and bronze medalist Niels de Langen, both of the Netherlands, pose after the alpine skiing men's alpine combined sitting at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Japan's Akari Fukunishi prepares prior to the Group A preliminary round hockey match between Japan and Canada at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

SAO PAULO (AP) — For 38-year-old Leandro Valdivia, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ’s pre-election crackdown on fixed-odds betting came too late to save his marriage or $26,000 from his bank account. Still, he has anxiously checked the news since the government's ban was announced on Friday, fearing a judge will strike it down.

Brazil's betting market is in turmoil since Lula, nine days before the first round of presidential elections, signed an order to ban all platforms. In a tightly contested election, that prohibition is one of the few measures of his that even supporters of rival Flávio Bolsonaro support. And that could be decisive ahead of Sunday’s tight vote.

Brazil’s government said on Monday it had removed 506 websites that allegedly continued to offer the service. Lula’s decision ends the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting. It will need congressional approval within 120 days to remain in effect — and no objections from any judge in the nation.

Valdivia, a healthcare professional who talks to dozens of online gamblers each week to help them leave the addiction, started placing bets during the 2022 World Cup. He used to gamble about 100 Brazilian reais ($20) in each game and did make a profit. He led himself to believe he understood what made volleyball tick, and that could someday earn him a fortune.

But two years later each of Valdivia's gambles jumped to 10,000 reais ($2,000), and he was not winning any of it back. He was constantly lying to his partner about losing money. He had to give away his small media company and stopped talking to his friends. After he divorced, his cousins intervened; they installed an app to ban betting from his mobile and computer. Since last year, he is in recovery.

“This is an addiction that doesn't give you bad breath. You don't talk funny, you don't smell. Nobody finds it strange if you stay on your phone all day,” Valdivia, who still has debts of 30,000 Brazilian reais ($5,700), said in a phone interview.

“It is hard for our judges and for congress to keep this in place. But maybe this ban stays long enough for us to feel the impact in the economy and in people's mental health,” said Valdivia, who plans to vote for Lula.

Brazil has one of the world's biggest online betting markets, which made more than $4 billion in revenues in 2025, according to an institute that represents most of the platforms operating in the South American nation. The country's central bank argues it is even more; about 30 billion reais ($5.7 billion) spent on bets each month. That figure included spending by beneficiaries of the cash-transfer federal welfare program Bolsa Familia (Family Grant), which was blocked from those platforms last year.

About 2 million Brazilians are addicted to those platforms, a study of Sao Paulo University said in August.

Creomar de Souza, a political analyst with Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, a consultancy firm based in Brasilia, said despite Lula's criticism to betting companies, it is clear he picked an electoral moment to do it. He argues many polls have shown that more than 70% of Brazilians favor banning all betting platforms.

“The ban doesn't hurt Lula at all, we need some more time to see whether it does help him in the election as voters digest,” said de Souza, who added Brazil's president himself pushed for the regulation of betting companies only two years ago.

“If Congress tosses this order, it doesn't hurt Lula either. He can take some advantage and make pressure, cast himself as an anti-system candidate in an election that should be close.”

One staffer of Brazil's government told The Associated Press that Lula did consider a partial ban, but changed course after top division soccer clubs said in a joint statement last week that removing those platforms would mean the end of “futebol,” the nation's biggest passion. All 20 clubs in Brazil's Serie A are sponsored by sports betting platforms. The staffer spoke under condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to speak publicly.

Few Brazilians have publicly antagonized the move due to evident hazards brought by online betting to the country’s economy and mental health. Even presidential hopeful Flávio Bolsonaro avoided criticizing the merits of the decision. But betting companies are preparing to challenge the move in different courts, as a group and individually.

Matheus Puppe, an expert in Brazil's digital law, said he expects Lula's order to be struck down soon due to several issues in totally banning a sector from the economy without a transition. If a court doesn't do it, he says, congress might just not vote on it and let the order expire.

“It was abrupt, the government did not return the license fee paid by the platforms, it did not care for the workers of those companies,” Puppe said. “There are many grounds to question this.”

"But it will be hard to see any judge doing it before Sunday,” he added.

Valdivia agrees the risks for the order are high. He argues it is needed since few addicts choose to stop without some help from family and friends.

Puppe said banning legal platforms "will only make people look for the illegal ones.”

Still, the ban makes it much harder for those who are not tech savvy to continue placing their bets, which changes the size of the market dramatically.

“I remember when I realized my then partner knew what was happening to me. We were cycling in Buenos Aires, we saw an ad about the risks of online betting and she just hopped off and gave me a hug,” Valdivia recalls.

“I am recovering. But I could be speaking to you with my partner still with me, we'd have a child by now, and I would have spent that money in a house for us by the beach. That I will never recover.”

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, arrives carrying a Brazilian flag to attend a campaign rally with artists in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)