Home / Sports / Ukraine Boycotts Opening Ceremony Over Russian/Belarusian Inclusion
Ukraine Boycotts Opening Ceremony Over Russian/Belarusian Inclusion
20 Feb
Summary
- Ukraine's team will boycott the opening ceremony.
- Russian and Belarusian athletes were invited to compete.
- Ukraine will still compete in the Games but not attend the ceremony.
Ukraine's Winter Paralympics team has announced a boycott of the event's opening ceremony next month. This decision stems from the invitation extended to Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games, which commence on March 6. Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes are slated to participate in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding.
Previously, both nations faced a suspension from Paralympic competition following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus identified as an ally. However, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifted this ban in September. Despite this, individual sports federations, including the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), initially maintained their bans. Russia and Belarus successfully appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, enabling their athletes' return to FIS competitions.
The Ukrainian National Paralympic Committee has also requested that the Ukrainian flag not be used during the event. While the team will still compete and strive for victories, they will not participate in the opening ceremony. The IPC stated that the decision to lift the partial suspension was made by its member organizations at the 2025 General Assembly.
