Russian, Belarusian Athletes To Compete Under National Flags At Winter Paralympics

Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes are set to compete under their respective national flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, marking a significant shift in policy by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). This decision comes despite strong condemnation from UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

The IPC had initially suspended both nations from Paralympic competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus being a close ally. A partial ban, allowing athletes to compete as neutrals, was introduced in 2023. However, in September, the IPC lifted its ban on athletes from both countries competing under their national flags.

While individual governing bodies for six Paralympic sports initially maintained their bans, Russia and Belarus successfully appealed against FIS (the governing body for skiing and snowboarding) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in December. This ruling permitted their athletes to compete and accumulate ranking points.

The IPC confirmed to BBC Sport that the ten athletes have received bipartite commission invitations to compete in Para-alpine skiing, Para-cross country skiing, and Para-snowboarding.

The IPC stated: “NPC Russia has been awarded a total of six slots: two in Para-alpine skiing (one male, one female), two in Para-cross country skiing (one male, one female), and two in Para-snowboard (both male). NPC Belarus has been awarded four slots in total, all in cross-country skiing (one male and three female).” Ukraine has also received bipartite slots in three sports.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expressed her strong disapproval, stating on X: “Allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their own flags while the brutal invasion of Ukraine continues sends a terrible message. The International Paralympic Committee should reconsider this decision urgently.”

This will be the first time a Russian flag has been flown at a Paralympic Games since Sochi 2014, following a ban due to the country’s state-sponsored doping programme and subsequently the 2022 invasion.

Russian news agency TASS reports that notable athletes expected to compete include Aleksey Bugaev, a three-time Paralympic champion in alpine skiing, and World Championship medallists Ivan Golubkov and Anastasiia Bagiian in cross-country skiing. All three returned to competition in January, with Bugaev and Bagiian having since secured World Cup titles.

The Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics are scheduled to take place from 6-15 March.