- Seven countries, including Ukraine and Poland, have announced a boycott of the 2026 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony in Milan-Cortina to protest the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
- The International Paralympic Committee confirmed that while these nations cited political reasons, the United Kingdom has also joined with a diplomatic boycott of the event.
- Despite the controversy, the Games will officially begin at the Arena di Verona with over 600 athletes representing 56 different na
The Milan-Cortina Paralympics officials confirmed that seven countries will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics, which is scheduled for March 6, 2026.
According to an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) statement, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine will not be sending athletes or officials to the ceremony.
The collective decision was made to protest the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the ceremony at the 2,000-year-old Arena di Verona. This follows the invasion of Ukraine, after which Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Paralympics.
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As per IPC evaluations, the turnout will be lower than expected, with fewer than 60% of competing countries sending a full delegation to the event.
In a press conference in Cortina on Thursday, IPC communications officer Craig Spence said, "You will have seen also in the last 10 days news of some National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) who have decided not to come for political reasons and there's been various numbers."
The IPC added last month that it would allow six Russians, competing for the first time since 2014, and four athletes from Belarus to take part in the Games. However, they will compete under their national flags rather than as neutral competitors.
Clarifying the situation, Spence stated, "I've seen numbers ranging from seven to 15. So let me be very clear on the NPCs who are not coming for political reasons. We have Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine."
The IPC further stated that while other countries would not have athletes present at the ceremony, they insisted those absences were due to decisions to "prioritize athletic performance" rather than political protest.
In what is set to be the biggest Paralympic Games in terms of geographic scale, around 612 athletes from 56 countries are expected to compete in events organized from Milan to Cortina.
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