Andrew Parsons hopes for coronavirus to be a thing of the past when Milan Cortina 2026 comes around ©Getty Images

An event focused on sport and without COVID-19 is on Andrew Parsons' wish list for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Hopefully, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President is not tempting fate when he says he is excited for crowds and a coronavirus-free Games in four years' time.

"Games with spectators, Games where we speak mainly about sport and about legacy and about the positive things, and that we can probably live in a world where we don't need to wear masks," Parsons said during Beijing 2022.

"But if that is still the case, then we will learn from this experience here and how we can provide a best possible experience to the athletes, not in a Chinese way but in an Italian way because this is the beauty of the Games.

"They go every four years or every two years, with summer and winter, they are in different parts of the world.

"We add the local flavour, the host flavour to it.

"So again, great performances."

Andrew Parsons misses seeing capacity crowds at the Paralympics and hopes
Andrew Parsons misses seeing capacity crowds at the Paralympics and hopes "the world will be a different place" by Milan Cortina 2026 ©Getty Images

At Beijing 2022, the hosts currently sit atop the medals table with 10 golds, nine silvers and 13 bronzes, despite only ever winning one Winter Paralympics medal before that.

Parsons claimed this is not a flash in the pan and they continue to be a major force in the Winter Paralympics at Milan Cortina 2026. 

"I still think we'll still be seeing China very strong in the medal table in Milano Cortina, but we will be in a different part of the world," said Parsons.

"Hopefully the world will be a different place by then.

"But I think we see the Paralympic movement growing and growing and growing, and it's really exciting."

China, winner of only Paralympic Games medal before Beijing 2022, have now won 10 gold and IPC President Andrew Parsons believes that success is set to continue at Milan Cortina 2026 ©Getty Images
China, winner of only Paralympic Games medal before Beijing 2022, have now won 10 gold and IPC President Andrew Parsons believes that success is set to continue at Milan Cortina 2026 ©Getty Images

The last three editions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games have taken place in Asia - with Pyeongchang in 2018 and Tokyo 2020 proceeding Beijing 2022 - before heading to Paris, in 2024 Milan and Cortina in 2026, Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032 for confirmed future editions.

"We are finishing an Asia tour here and now, with Pyeongchang, with Tokyo, and Beijing, I think we are finishing with, as we say in my country, with a golden key," said Parsons.

"We will start a different journey now in a different part of the world, two Games in Europe, then we go to America, then we go back to Oceania.

"So it's a different journey, but I think the Asian leg of that journey was incredible and we could not be finishing this in a better place."