More delegations could miss the event due to travel disruptions following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The countries planning to skip the ceremony are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands and Ukraine, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Chief Brand and Communications Officer Craig Spence said.
The German Paralympic Committee said on Wednesday its athletes also would not attend.
The nations want to express their solidarity with Ukraine following Russia's invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
The closure of airspace in parts of the Middle East could also affect the arrival of stakeholders, the IPC said. It declined to comment on the status of more than 50 national delegations.
The Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics run from March 6 to March 15. The opening ceremony will take place at Verona’s ancient Roman arena, about 170km east of Milan.
The IPC expects a record number of athletes at the Games - more than 600 - with final confirmation due in coming days.
Among registered competitors, 10 are from Russia and Belarus. Paralympic committees from both nations had all sanctions against them lifted in September 2025.
Israel is expected to send one female alpine skier, while Iran is due to be represented by one male athlete in cross-country skiing.
The president of the Italian Paralympic Committee warned that the situation risked overshadowing a key moment for athletes travelling from around the world to compete in Italy.
“The situation is truly worrying and unfortunate. The impacts of this war (in the Middle East) could be manifold,” president Marco Giunio De Sanctis told Reuters.
From a logistical standpoint, most athletes should already have arrived, he said.
The first para curling match was played in Cortina on Wednesday.
However, De Sanctis said there were concerns that the escalating conflict involving Iran could overshadow the message of the Games.
“It is a great shame, because none of the athletes deserve this after making so many sacrifices to get here."
