Ukraine officers will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics subsequent month over the participation of a handful of Russian and Belarusian athletes cleared to compete beneath their flags, Ukraine’s Sports activities Minister Matvii Bidnyi stated on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).
Ukrainian athletes will nonetheless participate within the March 6-15 Paralympics however Mr. Bidnyi stated no Ukraine official can be on the opening ceremony or any occasion of the Video games, and he urged different nations to observe go well with.
“In response to the Paralympics organisers’ outrageous resolution to let Russians and Belarusians (sic) compete beneath their nationwide flags, Ukrainian officers won’t attend the Paralympic Video games,” Mr. Bidnyi stated on social media.
“We’ll not be current on the opening ceremony. We won’t participate in every other official Paralympic occasions. We thank each official from the free world who will do the identical. We’ll preserve combating!”
Russia and Belarus may have a mixed 10 para athletes at subsequent month’s Paralympics following Tuesday’s (February 17) resolution by the Worldwide Paralympic Committee.
Earlier, Mr. Bidnyi known as the choice to permit six Russians and 4 Belarusians to take part within the Paralympics a signal of assist for Russia’s propaganda.
Each nations had been banned from Paralympic competitions after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, however regained full membership rights within the IPC after member organisations voted in September 2025 to elevate their partial suspensions.
Belarus was a key staging space for the invasion.
Worldwide federations for every sport on the Paralympic Video games programme had stated they might preserve bans on athletes from these nations, however Russia and Belarus gained an enchantment with the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport in December towards the Worldwide Ski and Snowboard Federation, incomes a handful of spots.
Minister condemns resolution
A restricted variety of Russians and Belarusians are competing as particular person impartial athletes with out flags or anthems on the ongoing Milano Cortina Winter Video games, with the Olympic Committees of the 2 nations nonetheless sanctioned by the Worldwide Olympic Committee.
“The choice by the Paralympic organisers to permit killers and their accomplices to participate within the Paralympic Video games beneath nationwide flags is disappointing and outrageous,” Mr. Bidnyi stated.
Russia may have two spots in Para alpine snowboarding, two in Para cross-country snowboarding and two in Para snowboard whereas Belarus was awarded 4 slots in complete, all in cross-country snowboarding – one male and three females.
“The flags of Russia and Belarus haven’t any place at worldwide sporting occasions that stand for equity, integrity, and respect. These are the flags of regimes which have turned sport right into a software of warfare, lies, and contempt,” Mr. Bidnyi stated.
Heraskevych speaks out
His feedback come hours after Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the Winter Olympics over a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed within the warfare, criticised Video games organisers’ resolution to have a Russian volunteer carry an indication forward of the Ukraine delegation on the opening ceremony.
The volunteer, a Russian residing in Milan, had needed to hold the signal as a result of she condemned Russia’s invasion and needed to assist Ukraine, based on native media.
“I don’t need to assault anybody personally, however total, this scenario with the Paralympic Committee, with the IOC, with the disqualification and with Russian flags, feels just like the IOC is doing a little marketing campaign towards the Ukrainian nation,” Mr. Heraskevych advised Reuters from Kiev.
The IOC stated there was no discrimination towards any nation or athlete on the Video games. All selections regarding Mr. Heraskevych had been pushed by the foundations of the Olympic Constitution that restrict any expression on the fields of play, it stated.
“We requested them (all athletes) for that particular second, that discipline of play second to be freed from any messages,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams advised the identical press convention. “We ask that from any nation, from any athlete, from anyplace on the planet,” he stated.
He stated he was conscious of the signal bearer however added, “We don’t carefully vet all of our volunteers however a Russian volunteer carrying an indication, for me it isn’t a difficulty. Inform me otherwise.”
Luca Casassa, Milano Video games spokesman, advised the press convention there have been greater than 1,200 volunteers on the opening ceremony. “They labored to make the opening ceremony one thing distinctive. We can not vet each volunteer,” he stated.
Revealed – February 18, 2026 07:19 pm IST