The decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to authorize Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2026 Winter Games under their respective banners is definitely not going through. While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing, certain countries and Olympic players have expressed their opposition in recent hours.
Ukraine was logically the first to speak out against the IPC’s announcement by announcing that its officials would boycott the official events of the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games in March. “We will not be present at the opening ceremony. We will not participate in any of the official events” of the Games, Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviï Bidny wrote on X.
Since then, kyiv has found various allies. This Thursday, Estonian television announced that it did not want to broadcast the events with the athletes concerned. But, above all, Italy, host country of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, brought its voice to the chorus of protests. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Sports, Andrea Abodi, urged the IPC to “reconsider its decision” and expressed their “full solidarity” and their “unconditional support” for Ukraine.
A Russian athlete medalist at Milan-Cortina
To justify their request, they accused Russia, via a press release, of “continuous violation of Olympic and Paralympic ideals”, believing that this situation is “incompatible with the participation of its athletes, except under a neutral flag”.
Statements that brought Moscow out of its silence. The Russian embassy in Rome criticized this position on Facebook, deeming it “undiplomatic” and describing it as “offensive and deserving of unanimous condemnation”. The Russian embassy also called the Italian statements “unacceptable”, especially from a Paralympics host country.
As a reminder, Russia has been largely banned from international sport since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, using the territory of its ally, Belarus, for its offensive. At the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, from February 6 to 22, some Russian and Belarusian athletes were only allowed to compete under a neutral flag, with Nikita Filippov winning a first medal on Thursday, with silver in ski mountaineering.
