Ukraine has announced an official-level boycott of the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympics, following confirmation that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their national flags. While Ukrainian athletes will still participate in competition, no Ukrainian government or sporting officials will attend ceremonial or organisational events at the Games.
The decision comes after the International Paralympic Committee approved the participation of a combined 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus for the Winter Paralympic Games, scheduled to take place from March 6-15 in Italy. According to the IPC, Russia has been allocated six places across alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding, while Belarus has received four cross-country slots.
Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said the move would trigger a formal protest from the Ukrainian state, though not from its athletes. “In response to the outrageous decision to let Russians and Belarusians compete under their national flags, Ukrainian public officials will not attend the Paralympic Games,” Bidnyi said, as reported. He added, “We will not be present at the opening ceremony. We will not take part in any other official Paralympic events. We thank every official from the free world who will do the same. We will keep fighting!”
The protest follows remarks made a day earlier by Pavel Rozhkov, President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, who confirmed that Russia would march in the opening ceremony with its national flag and official uniforms, something that was not permitted at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
“It’s already been decided that the national teams will send out a small delegation at the opening ceremony, letting one or two athletes fly the national flag with a small escort,” Rozhkov told. He further insisted, “It remains a fact that we will participate in the (opening) ceremony with the (national) flag. No doubt about that. It has not yet been decided who the flagbearer will be, but the flag and the Russian uniforms will 100% be there.”
The IPC’s decision follows a series of administrative and legal developments. Russia and Belarus had their full membership rights restored at the IPC General Assembly in September 2025, and a subsequent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December cleared the way for both nations to apply for quota places in snow sports via the bipartite invitation system
Bidnyi later adopted a stronger political stance in a Facebook post, accusing the Paralympic Movement of legitimising the ongoing conflict. “The decision by the Paralympics’ organisers to allow killers and their accomplices into the Paralympic Games under their national flags is disappointing and outrageous,” he wrote.
“The flags of Russia and Belarus cannot be present at international sporting competitions that nurture justice, honesty and respect.” He argued that allowing national symbols amounted to providing a platform for propaganda and called on international sports bodies to reconsider their stance.
The Ukrainian position has found support within the European Union. European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef announced that he would not attend the opening ceremony at Verona Arena on March 6. Writing on X, he said the reinstatement of national symbols during wartime was unacceptable.
“While Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, I cannot support the reinstatement of national symbols, flags, anthems, and uniforms that are inseparable from that conflict,” Micallef wrote. “I do so with respect for the athletes but with clarity about the principles at stake. Sport unites when it stands on principle. It divides when it compromises them. I call on my likeminded counterparts to take the same stand.”
The situation stands in contrast to the ongoing Winter Olympic Games, where Russian and Belarusian athletes are still competing under neutral status due to sanctions imposed by the International Olympic Committee.
With less than three weeks to go before the Paralympics begin, the confirmed participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, limited in number but significant in symbolism, has set the stage for a Games overshadowed by political tension, institutional absences, and renewed debate over the role of sport during conflict.
