Why are countries boycotting the Winter Paralympics opening ceremony?

• A number of nations have decided to boycott Friday night’s opening ceremony for the Winter Paralympics.
• The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed athletes from Ukraine, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland will all stay away from the ceremony.
• The decision to boycott comes after the IPC confirmed six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be able to compete under their own flags at the Winter Games, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• The UK government is also boycotting the opening and closing ceremonies to show solidarity with Ukraine, while Germany’s team will not be in the Parade of Nations.
• The Russian flag has not been flown at a Paralympics since 2014, with sanctions initially put in place due to a state-sponsored doping programme, before the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.