Ukraine’s Paralympic team will skip the opening ceremony in protest at Russian athletes being allowed to compete under their national flag.
UKRAINE’S Paralympic team will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games next month.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine announced the protest against the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag.
“The Ukrainian Paralympic team and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are boycotting the opening ceremony of the 14th Winter Paralympic Games and demand that the Ukrainian flag not be used at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics-2026!,” the committee said in a statement.
READ MORE: Ukraine condemns Russian Paralympics participation as propaganda
The decision follows a similar boycott announced by Ukrainian government officials for the March 6 ceremony in Verona.
Ukraine’s fury was sparked by the IPC allowing six Russians and four Belarusians to compete under their own flags rather than as neutral athletes.
Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Paralympics following the invasion of Ukraine but were permitted as neutral athletes at the Paris Summer Paralympics two years later.
Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matviy Bidny called the decision “outrageous”.
He accused Russia and its ally Belarus of turning “sport into a tool of war, lies, and contempt”.
Valeriy Sushkevych, president of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, confirmed athletes would not stage a full boycott of the Games.
Ukraine traditionally performs strongly at the Winter Paralympics, coming second in the medals table four years ago in Beijing.
“If we do not go, it would mean allowing Putin to claim a victory over Ukrainian Paralympians and over Ukraine by excluding us from the Games,” Sushkevych said.
“That will not happen!”
Sushkevych said the IPC had failed to adhere to the values of the Paralympic movement.
“I would like to stress that at that time the IPC leaders supported our fight against the war,” he said.
“Today, the IPC has changed its position and failed to adhere to the values of humanity, democracy, and the philosophy of the international Paralympic movement.”
The Ukrainians are not alone in voicing their discontent with the decision.
The Italian government expressed its disapproval whilst EU Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef said he would boycott the ceremony.
The IPC declined to comment when approached, adding they were in contact with the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee.
