Ukraine's sports minister has condemned the International Paralympic Committee's decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at next month's Winter Paralympics, calling it 'disappointing and outrageous'. Matvii Bidnyi said Ukrainian officials will boycott the opening ceremony and other official events in protest.
'The flags of Russia and Belarus have no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect,' Bidnyi said. 'These are the flags of regimes that have turned sport into a tool of war, lies and contempt.' He urged the IPC to reconsider before the Games begin on 6 March.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also criticised the move, writing 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 IPC should reconsider this decision urgently.'
Russia's flag and anthem have been absent from the Olympics and Paralympics since the 2014 Sochi Games due to state-sponsored doping and the invasion of Ukraine, but the IPC lifted its ban in September. Among those invited are three-time Paralympic champion Aleksey Bugaev and world championship medallists Ivan Golubkov and Anastasiia Bagiian.
