Russians Officially Return to Paralympics While Ukrainians opt out in Protest

Russia has announced that its Paralympic athletes will return to the 2026 Paralympics while the Ukrainian team will opt out in protest.

Six athletes from Russia and four from Belarus will compete under their national flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games in Milan, despite their countries either waging or supporting Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed in a statement to multiple media outlets on February 17.

It will mark the first time the Russian flag has flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi.

In response, Ukraine announced its officials would not travel to the Games, would boycott the opening ceremony, and would abstain from all official Paralympic events.

Ukraine’s national sports minister said Wednesday that officials from the country would not attend the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, in protest over a decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

“We thank every government official from the free world who will also boycott the official events of the Paralympics. We continue the fight!” Minister of Youth and Sports Matvii Bidnyi said on February 18. Bidnyi, strongly condemned the decision and said officials from the country would not take part in any Paralympic events, though Ukrainian athletes would still compete.

"The decision by the Paralympics organisers to allow killers and their accomplices to compete at the Paralympic Games under national flags is both disappointing and outrageous,” he wrote on social media. 

Bidnyi emphjasized that Ukrainian athletes — who have often performed well in Paralympic competition, finishing second on the medals table at the 2022 Beijing Games — would not take part in the boycott.

Some European officials also condemned the decision to let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under their flags - which could, if the country takes a gold medal, see the first playing of Russia's national anthem at an Olympic or Paralympic event in years.