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The GIST: Experiencing curling withdrawals? Same. Luckily, the Milano Cortina Paralympics officially begin with today’s 2 p.m. ET Opening Ceremony, marking the 50-year anniversary of the Paralympic Games. Here are three storylines to watch as it all begins in Italy.

🛑 Several nations boycotting today’s Opening Ceremony: Russian and Belarusian Paralympians will compete under their own flag for the first time since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine following a February decision by the International Paralympic Committee. That prompted multiple countries to skip today’s festivities, though all will still participate in the athletic competitions.

🥌 Who stole the stones?: The curling drama continues — two 42-pound granite stones were taken from the Cortina venue before mixed doubles wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut on Wednesday. Have no fear, the Games rage on: the U.S. competed in the round-robin stage this morning, while Canada takes on Italy tomorrow at 12:35 p.m. ET.

🏒 American-Canadian rivalry extends to para ice hockey: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but Team USA and Team Canada are expected to battle for hockey gold. The Americans are going for an unprecedented fifth straight tourney win, while Canadian captain (and flag bearer) Tyler McGregor hopes to lead his team to their first Paralympic gold since 2006.

The GIST: Start your engines because Formula 1 (F1) is back, with a record-tying 24-race season on deck. From new car numbers to shiny new regulations, plenty has changed ahead of tomorrow’s 11 p.m. ET Australian Grand Prix. Buckle up.

👏 Cadillac makes F1 debut: This year’s grid will feature 11 teams for the first time in a decade as the U.S.–based constructor joins the paddock, and it’s been a long time coming. Cadillac will feature a pair of fan favorite drivers for their debut season: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, who boast 27 years of experience between them.

• When “new” teams join the fold, they’re often rebranded preexisting teams (like Kick Sauber becoming Audi this year), but Cadillac isn’t that: They’re an entirely fresh entity, meaning new infrastructure, faces, and facilities…and a highly-complex car built from scratch.

🏆 Which team will win?: It’s hard to say. F1 just underwent its biggest regulation change ever with 2026 rules affecting power units, aerodynamics, tires, and fuel — every single team had to reinvent themselves. Mercedes controversially showed promise in testing, but don’t count out the best to ever do it: four-time champ Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and a locked in Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari).

• If we know one thing though, it’s that Aston Martin is down bad, like really bad. Their car’s engine vibrations are so severe that completing the 58-lap Australian Grand Prix could cause their drivers permanent nerve damage. Not exactly the electric opener they were hoping for.