Ukraine will decline to take part in the closing ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics
The Ukrainian delegation will not be taking part in the closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, which are being held in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine (NPCU) informed journalists from ‘Suspilne Sport’ of this decision.
The reason for the boycott is the presence of the Russian and Belarusian delegations at the ceremony.
The Paralympic closing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, 15 March, at 21:30 Kyiv time.
Earlier, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had allowed six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete. The athletes were permitted to compete under their countries’ national flags, use national symbols, and have their national anthems played during the medal ceremonies.
In response, Ukraine had previously refused to take part in the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics. The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine also requested that the Ukrainian flag not be used during the event.
Poland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, Germany, Austria, Romania, the United Kingdom, France and Australia joined the boycott of the Paralympic opening ceremony at the level of government representatives.
Despite this, the organisers of the Games still displayed the Ukrainian flag during the opening ceremony, disregarding Ukraine’s position.
The opening ceremony also saw a negative reaction from the audience to the appearance of Russian athletes, who were booed.
At the 2026 Paralympic Games, Ukraine is represented by a record number of participants — 35 athletes, including 25 Paralympians and 10 guide athletes who assist athletes with visual impairments.
Ahead of the final day of competition, the Ukrainian team has 17 medals: three gold, seven silver and seven bronze, placing them seventh in the medal table.
It was also previously reported that the International Paralympic Committee has banned Ukrainian athletes from wearing uniforms featuring a map of Ukraine during the 2026 Paralympics.
