Countries Boycott Milan–Cortina Paralympics Opening Ceremony Over Russia’s Participation

The 2026 Winter Paralympics opens on Friday in Italy amid controversy, as several countries plan to boycott the opening ceremony in protest against the participation of Russian athletes competing under their national flag.

The Games, jointly hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, have been overshadowed by tensions linked to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine War.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has allowed six Russian athletes and four from Belarus to compete under their national flags — the first time since 2014 that athletes from the two countries will participate in this manner.

In response, Ukraine has announced it will not take part in the opening ceremony scheduled to be held in Verona. The boycott will also include Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

IPC President Andrew Parsons defended the decision, explaining that the organisation’s General Assembly voted last September to allow Russia and Belarus to return to the Paralympics under their national symbols.

He also noted that a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December confirmed that athletes from the two countries were eligible to qualify for the Games.

Parsons said he was surprised by the renewed backlash, stressing that the decision had been widely discussed months earlier.

“It did surprise me because it was a decision taken four to five months ago,” he said during a press conference in Cortina on Thursday.

According to him, the decision received extensive media coverage and had been explained repeatedly to journalists in previous interviews.

“It was a surprise to see that it has exploded again,” Parsons added.