A major international conflict erupted on the eve of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. Ukrainian officials announced a political boycott of the Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo competitions. The reason for this was that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
"Killers' flag must not be on the field"
Ukrainian Minister of Sports Matvey Bedny stated that the government delegation will not participate in the opening ceremony of the games and in any official events. He called the organizers' decision "angerful."
Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiha also supported this position. In his opinion, the state symbols of Russia and Belarus represent aggression and destruction and turn sports into a propaganda tool. Ukrainian diplomats were instructed to call on representatives of other countries not to attend the opening ceremony on March 6.
Unexpected decision of the International Committee
For the first time since the events of February 2022, the International Paralympic Committee has granted the right to six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to participate under their national flags. This decision is based on a new resolution adopted in September of last year, which abolished previous restrictions.
Competition calendar and participation status
The Winter Paralympic Games will last from March 6 to 15 of this year. It is noteworthy that:
- At the main Olympic Games currently being held in Italy, representatives of Russia and Belarus are participating only in neutral status (without the flag and anthem).
- At the Paralympics, they were allowed to use national symbols.
The Ukrainian side believes that such a decision contradicts the principles of justice in the international sports community. From now on, competitions in Italy are expected to become not only a sports arena, but also a center of major political debates.
Do you think it's right to allow athletes to compete under their national flag, regardless of the political situation?
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