Ukraine to Boycott Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony Over Russian and Belarusian Athlete Participation

Milan, Italy – Ukrainian officials have announced a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics, scheduled to initiate on March 6th in Milan Cortina, Italy, in protest of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags. While Ukrainian athletes will still participate in the Games, no official delegation from Ukraine will attend the opening ceremony or any other official Paralympic events.

IPC Decision Sparks Outrage

The IPC’s decision, announced on February 18, 2026, permits 10 Para athletes – six from Russia and four from Belarus – to compete in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. This marks a departure from the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy, which allows athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as independent neutral athletes.

Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi condemned the IPC’s decision as “disappointing and outrageous,” accusing the organization of providing a platform for Russian war propaganda. “The flags of Russia and Belarus have no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect,” Bidnyi stated in a press release according to NBC News.

Background: Bans and Appeals

Both Russia and Belarus were initially suspended from Paralympic competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus being a key staging area for the invasion. A partial ban was introduced in 2023, allowing athletes to compete as neutrals. But, Russia and Belarus successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), leading to the reinstatement of their athletes under their national flags.

The IPC does not govern the six sports contested at the Paralympics, and despite individual sports bodies initially refusing to lift their bans, the CAS ruling allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to FIS competitions and ultimately qualify for the Paralympics through bipartite commission invitations.

International Reactions

The decision has drawn criticism beyond Ukraine. European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef announced he would also not attend the opening ceremony and encouraged others to follow suit as reported by the BBC.

The Czech Paralympic Committee also announced it would not participate in the opening ceremony “in any form” according to BBC Sport.

Ukrainian Athlete Participation

Despite the official boycott, Ukrainian athletes will continue to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games, determined to “fight for the sporting victories of Ukrainian athletes.” The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine has also requested that the Ukrainian flag not be used during the Games.

IPC Response

The IPC stated it is in regular dialogue with the Ukrainian National Paralympic Committee (NPC Ukraine) and is discussing their statement. An IPC news conference, originally scheduled for February 26th in Milan, was cancelled.