Several countries have announced they will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympic Games on Friday, in protest at the organisers' move to allow para athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus to compete under their national flags.
Ukraine was the first to announce a boycott, saying its team will skip the ceremony in Verona in protest at the International Paralympic Committee's decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their countries' flags.
This was followed by similar announcements from Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Germany. The European Union also said its representative will boycott the ceremony.
"Paralympic athletes embody courage, determination, and the ability to overcome challenges. Especially in challenging times, it remains our shared responsibility to visibly embody the Paralympic values and resolutely protect the integrity of the sport," said Germany's national Paralympic committee in statement on Wednesday.
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While France has not followed suit, government officials will not be among the guests, said the country's sports minister Marina Ferrari.
“This is a decision that we have thought long and hard about, and one that is intended to be respectful of sporting institutions, the [International Paralympic Committee] and the decision that has been taken," she said. "But it is a disagreement that we are expressing with regard to the position that has been adopted by the IPC."
Ukraine will still compete in the Games. Valeriy Sushkevych, president of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, said that although he was furious at the decision, boycotting the entire competition would be counter-productive.
"If we do not go, it would mean allowing [Russian president Vladimir] Putin to claim a victory over Ukrainian Paralympians and over Ukraine by excluding us from the Games. That will not happen," he told French news agency AFP.
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The IPC has been under fire since it made the decision at its general assembly last September to allow Belarusian and Russian athletes to compete under their national flags.
At the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics last month, these athletes competed as Individual Neutral Athletes.
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Para athletes from Russia and Belarus were previously banned from competing under their own flags, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A partial ban was introduced in 2023, allowing para athletes to compete under a neutral flag at the Paris Summer Paralympics in 2024.
Several national Paralympic committees, including hosts Italy, argued that Russian and Belarusian para athletes should participate under a neutral banner.
IPC president Andrew Parsons said he and the organisation were "deeply disappointed" by the boycott, adding that the ceremony should not be "politicised" and that there are "different ways and spaces to send messages and express views freely".
More than 600 athletes will compete at the Games across six different sports at three sites in northern Italy, from March 6-15.
(with newswires)
