The United States sent 56 athletes (45 men and 11 women) to the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin, Italy, the largest delegation of any nation. Chris Devlin-Young, a 15-year veteran of the and four-time Paralympic medalist in alpine skiing, served as the flag bearer at the opening ceremonies. ice sledge hockey player Lonnie Hannah, a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. team at the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City and the bronze-medal-winning team in Turin, was the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies.