Russia Flag Row: Seven Countries Skip Paralympics Opening Ceremony

Last Updated:March 05, 2026, 21:42 IST

The Milan-Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony will proceed without Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine due to a boycott over Russia's return.

The opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics will go ahead without seven national teams after organisers confirmed a coordinated boycott over Russia’s return to competition under its own flag.

Officials said on Thursday that Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine will not attend Friday’s curtain-raiser at the historic Verona Arena, protesting the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete as representatives of their country for the first time since 2014.

Last month, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that six Russian athletes and four from Belarus would be permitted to compete in the Games under their national flags rather than as neutral competitors.

Russia and Belarus were barred from the 2022 Winter Paralympics following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. However, athletes from both nations were later allowed to participate as neutrals at the Paris Summer Paralympics two years later.

The IPC acknowledged the boycott but said it respected the decision made by those national committees.

“You will have seen also in the last 10 days news of some National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) who have decided not to come for political reasons, and there’s been various numbers (reported)," IPC communications officer Craig Spence told reporters in Cortina on Thursday.

“I’ve seen numbers ranging from seven to 15. So let me be very clear on the NPCs who are not coming for political reasons.

“We have Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine."

Spence added that the IPC “respect[s] that decision."

Not every major nation will have athletes present at the ceremony, but organisers stressed that several absences are unrelated to the protest.

“Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France — they’re not boycotting the ceremony," Spence said. “They’ve told us that they are not coming for performance reasons."

With competition beginning early on Saturday, many teams have opted to keep athletes near their training bases in Cortina, Val di Fiemme and Milan rather than travel to Verona.

Spence noted that some delegations had flagged the logistical challenge months ago.

“In November, we were informed by several nations that they wouldn’t be able to come to the ceremony because they wanted to prioritise athletic performance, and the IPC completely respects that," he said.

“At the end of the day, athletes have been training for this moment for many years and if they’re prioritising performance, then we’re happy with that."

To ensure all teams are still represented, organisers said several nations have submitted 12-second videos of their athletes that will be incorporated into the opening ceremony broadcast.

(with AFP inputs)

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