UK Government to Boycott Paralympics Ceremonies Over Russia and Belarus Participation
The UK government has confirmed that it will not send ministers or officials to the opening or closing ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympics after Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to compete under their national flags.
This follows controversy around the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to represent their countries at the Milan-Cortina Games. It will be the first time Russia’s flag has appeared at a Paralympic Games since the 2014 event in Sochi.
In a statement, a government spokesperson said: “We strongly oppose the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing. Therefore, no government ministers or officials will attend the opening or closing ceremonies of the Paralympics.”
Sports Minister to attend Paralympics
Despite the boycott of the ceremonies, the UK’s sports minister Stephanie Peacock will still travel to Cortina to support British competitors, but is not scheduled to attend the opening and closing ceremonies.
“The Minister for Sport [Stephanie Peacock] will be in Cortina purely to support our inspirational ParalympicsGB athletes, as she was there to support TeamGB at the Winter Olympics last month,” the spokesperson added. They have worked tirelessly over the last four years to be ready for the biggest moment of their sporting lives and deserve to have the nation behind them."
Seven other countries to boycott opening ceremony
Several other countries are also distancing themselves from the opening ceremony. The IPC said that the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine will not send athletes or officials to the event. Germany has also said that its team will not take part in the Parade of Nations, choosing instead to appear in a pre-recorded segment to show solidarity with Ukraine.
ParalympicsGB athletes will not attend the ceremony either, but organisers say this was decided earlier due to scheduling and travel issues rather than as part of a protest. The ceremony takes place at the Arena di Verona, several hours away from Cortina where many of the athletes are competing.
Team chef de mission Phil Smith explained the decision had been made well in advance because competitors would return to the athletes’ village very late at night before the first day of competition.
IPC president Andrew Parsons defended the organisation’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian participation, saying it followed votes by member organisations. “Our clear focus remains on supporting all stakeholders arriving and preparing to deliver the best Paralympic Winter Games,” he said. “I acknowledge this decision has not been well received in some parts of the world,” he added, stressing that the IPC was bound to follow the outcome of votes taken by its general assembly.
The Winter Paralympics will run from 6th to 15th March and are expected to feature around 612 athletes from 56 countries, making it the largest Winter Paralympic Games to date.
