By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games take place from 6 - 15 March 2026 and six Russians and four Belarussians will participate.
This will be the first time that Russian and Belarussians flags have been flown at a Paralympics Games since the Sochi Games in 2014, following the suspension of the Russians and the Belarussians from the Paralympics after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Commenting on the situation, Andrew Parsons, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, stated:
"When the general assembly took the decision to lift the suspensions of Russia and Belarus, the decision was to treat them like any other National Paralympic Committee. There are many countries that recruit athletes from the armed forces, so if Russia does that, they won't be the only one.”
And added:
"We have to remember where we come from. Our movement started after World War Two, specifically with injured military personnel. So, what the Paralympic movement offers is possibility after war. We are against any war, any conflict, but what we offer is an opportunity for those who are injured in war to be reintegrated into society through sport. It doesn't matter to us what they have done in the past in the combat field. Of course, crimes of war are something different, but what we offer with the movement is a second chance."
The IPC claimed that the decision to exclude the Russians and the Belarussians from competition was made not because of the invasion itself, but because Paralympic sport was being used to promote the military campaign, which was a breach of the IPC rules. It has recently stated that there is now less evidence of such propaganda.
As a result of these developments, the 2026 opening ceremony will be boycotted by seven teams, including Ukraine.
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