Kyiv.– Ukrainian athletes will not participate in the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics of Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, scheduled for March 6, in protest of the decision to allow the presence of athletes from Russia and Belarus under their respective flags.
The
Ukrainian Paralympic Committee announced in a statement that the Ukrainian delegation will be absent from the opening ceremony as a sign of rejection of the official readmission of Russian and Belarusian athletes. Days before, Kyiv had already announced that its leaders would also not attend the ceremony for the same reason.
In the note, the organization pointed out that athletes from Russia and Belarus “did not pass the qualification process to obtain licenses” to compete in the Paralympic event, calling the organizers’ decision “shameful.”
Following the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the organizing committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games had banned both countries from participating under their flags, only allowing the presence of athletes as neutrals. Ukraine had already expressed its disagreement even with that formula and has now expressed its outrage at the full readmission.
Ukrainian sports authorities believe the measure contradicts the Olympic values of promoting peace by allowing nations involved in the war to compete. Belarus is considered Russia’s closest ally in the war.
This episode adds to recent tensions between Kyiv and the
International Olympic Committee, following the disqualification of a Ukrainian athlete in another competition for displaying symbols considered political messages, in violation of current regulations.
The controversy adds a new chapter to the debate over the participation of Russia and Belarus in international sports competitions since the outbreak of the conflict.
