The Pirelli skyscraper, the Palazzo Lombardo and the Allianz Tower were each illuminated in the colour which has become synonymous with campaigns to raise visibility to those with disabilities.

In Venice, the canal-side Palazzo Grandi Stazioni and Palazzo Balbi were also lit by purple light.

"I am convinced that the importance of the Paralympic event, together with the great sensitivity shown by our travel companions on these issues, is the premise on which we can and must build a process of ever greater inclusion," Milan Cortina 2026 chief executive Andrea Varnier said.

"The Paralympics represent a challenge that involves the best athletes with disabilities in the world and which requires us, as a society and individuals, to deal with the capacity for inclusion and accessibility in our territories and in our country," he added.

"Sport is the most beautiful tool that exists, it teaches us that through commitment, respect, determination, friendship and solidarity we can obtain results destined to leave a trace in history."

Two years ago in August 2021, the Colosseum in Rome and the Palazzo Marino in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo town hall had also been lit in purple as part of the International Paralympic Committee's #WeThe15 campaign. 

The initiative was designed to focus attention on the 15 per cent of the global population who live with a disability.