Ukraine to boycott Milano Cortina Paralympics over Russian participation
Ukrainian officials will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics next month due to the participation of a small number of Russian and Belarusian athletes, Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said on Wednesday, reports BritPanorama.
Despite the boycott, Ukrainian athletes will still compete in the Paralympic Games scheduled from March 6 to 15. The decision means no Ukrainian official will attend the opening ceremony or any other event during the Games.
Russia and Belarus will have a combined ten para-athletes at the upcoming Paralympics, following a recent decision by the International Paralympic Committee to allow their participation under their national flags. Six slots have been allocated to Russia and four to Belarus.
Bidnyi condemned the IPC’s decision, stating, “In response to the outrageous decision to let Russians and Belarusians compete under their national flags, Ukrainian public officials will not attend the Paralympic Games. We will not be present at the opening ceremony. We will not take part in any other official Paralympic events.” He expressed gratitude towards officials from the international community who may join the boycott, adding, “We will keep fighting!”
The UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport also criticized the IPC’s ruling, calling it the “completely wrong decision.” She remarked, “Allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their own flags while the brutal invasion of Ukraine continues sends a terrible message.”
Russia has faced significant sanctions in the past, being banned from the Paralympics twice due to a state-sponsored doping scheme in 2016 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following the IPC’s September 2025 vote to lift the partial bans on both Russia and Belarus, the UK, along with 32 other countries, issued a joint statement expressing “serious concern.”
The decision by Ukraine and its allies to boycott highlights ongoing tensions over sports governance and national representation in the context of international conflict, demonstrating that even arenas of competition cannot escape the shadows of geopolitical strife. The stark division within the international sporting community reveals how deeply intertwined sport and politics have become in today’s world.
