The organisers of the 2026 Paralympics raised the Ukrainian flag despite the delegation's boycott.
The organisers of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games 2026 carried the Ukrainian national flag during the opening ceremony, despite the Ukrainian delegation's decision to boycott the celebrations.
The opening ceremony of the Games took place on 6 March. The Ukrainian team did not participate in the event in protest against the presence of representatives from Russia and Belarus at the Paralympics.
Before the start of the event, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine (NPCU) announced that the entire Ukrainian delegation would ignore the opening ceremony. The statement also included a request not to use the Ukrainian flag during the celebrations.
"The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine declares that the Ukrainian Paralympic team and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are boycotting the opening ceremony of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games and demand that the Ukrainian flag not be used at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics," the organisation's statement said.
Despite this, the organisers brought the Ukrainian flag into the arena during the presentation of the participating countries, ignoring the request of the Ukrainian side.
The flags and athletes from Russia and Belarus were also presented during the ceremony. According to France 24, the Russian athletes' entrance into the arena was accompanied by boos from the stands.
Russian athletes are participating in the Paralympic Games under their own national flag for the first time since 2014.
A total of about 45 athletes took part in the opening ceremony, while more than 600 para-athletes are registered for the competition itself.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will run from 6 to 15 March.
