Seven countries and the British government will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in protest at the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine would not send athletes or officials to Friday night's event at the Arena di Verona.
The UK government said no representatives would attend, reiterating opposition to Russian athletes competing under their own flag. 'We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing,' a spokesperson stated. However, Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock will be in Cortina to support ParalympicsGB athletes.
IPC President Andrew Parsons defended the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flag for the first time since 2014. He noted that the IPC general assembly voted on the matter three times, with the most recent vote in 2025 resulting in no suspension. 'Each time the IPC respected and implemented the decision of our member organisations, as we are bound by our constitution to do so,' Parsons said.
Parsons acknowledged the decision was not well received in some parts of the world but stressed the IPC's democratic process. He also highlighted that these Winter Paralympics will be the largest in history, with 612 athletes from 56 countries competing, compared to 474 from 38 nations at the 2006 Torino Games. The event spans from Milan to Cortina and includes the municipality of Tesero.
