Russia's admission sparked a boycott: countries are boycotting the opening of the 2026 Paralympics
This was reported by Reuters.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo found themselves at the centre of an international scandal even before they began. The reason was the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the competitions using national symbols.
This concerns six athletes from Russia and four from Belarus. They will be able to compete under their countries' flags and use their national anthems at award ceremonies.
This decision has provoked a sharp reaction from a number of countries. Ukraine has announced that it will boycott the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics in protest against the admission of athletes from aggressor states with national symbols.
At the same time, the Ukrainian team will participate in the competitions themselves. According to the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine, the country will be represented by 35 athletes — 25 para-athletes and 10 guides. Ukrainians have won 25 licences in four disciplines: para-biathlon, para-snowboarding, para-alpine skiing and para-snowboarding. This is a record for Ukraine at the Winter Paralympics.
Other countries have also joined the boycott of the opening ceremony. Among them are Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Canada. Representatives of these countries have stated that their delegations will not participate in the opening ceremony of the Games.
Some countries also announced a boycott at the level of governments or official representatives. In particular, the Prime Minister of Lithuania stated that she would not attend the Games, and the Croatian government announced that representatives of the authorities would not participate in the opening ceremony.
Representatives of the European Union also joined the protest. EU Sports Commissioner Glenn McAuley said he would also boycott the opening ceremony because of the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete with their national symbols.
IPC President Andrew Parsons said that the organisation sees no legal possibility to ban Russia and Belarus from participating. At the same time, he stressed that the committee respects the decision of those countries that have decided not to participate in the opening ceremony.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place from 6 to 15 March in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. A total of 79 sets of medals are planned to be awarded at the competition.
