Ukraine's sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, has condemned the International Paralympic Committee's decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the Winter Paralympics in Milano Cortina, calling it “disappointing and outrageous”. In response, Ukrainian officials will boycott the opening ceremony and all official events.
Bidnyi stated that the flags of Russia and Belarus “have no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect”, accusing the regimes of turning sport into a tool of war. He urged the IPC to reconsider its decision before the Games begin on 6 March.
The IPC lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in September, despite ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Among the invited athletes are three-time Paralympic champion Aleksey Bugaev and world championship medallists Ivan Golubkov and Anastasiia Bagiian, all of whom have returned to competition and won World Cup titles this season.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also urged the IPC to reconsider, writing on X that allowing these athletes to compete under their flags “sends a terrible message” while the invasion of Ukraine continues.
