Several nations will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics over the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under their national flags.
The move follows a ruling by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which granted 10 combined slots to athletes from Russia and Belarus. They will compete with their flags and national anthems. The decision was taken in September 2025.
Ukraine confirmed last week that it will not attend the ceremony in Verona. Finland has joined the boycott.
The Czech Republic also reversed an earlier position and said it will now skip the event. Latvia, Poland and the Netherlands are reported to be planning similar action.
IPC Chief Brand and Communications Officer Craig Spence said no other countries have officially declared a boycott.
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“The IPC is not aware of any other nations choosing not to participate or to boycott the ceremony,” he said.
Canada and Great Britain will not attend, but for scheduling reasons. Their athletes are due to compete in Alpine skiing in Cortina the next day.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the IPC’s decision during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“It’s a dirty decision, absolutely, not respectable and not European from the point of values,” Zelensky said.
“I think this is not a just decision, so we will react.”
The Paralympics will run from March 6 to March 15. The IPC expects more than 600 athletes from over 50 countries to compete. Organisers say all nations will still be represented during the opening ceremony, even if some teams do not attend in person.