The Ukrainian flag was carried at the opening of the 2026 Paralympics despite the boycott: what happened
6 March 23:49
At the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy, the organizers carried the Ukrainian flag, despite the fact that the Ukrainian delegation boycotted the ceremony. The reason for the boycott was the decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the broadcast of the opening ceremony.
The Ukrainian flag appeared despite the boycott
The opening ceremony took place at the Arena di Verona in Verona.
The organizers brought out the Ukrainian flag during the ceremony, even though the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine had banned the use of state symbols during the opening ceremony.
The Ukrainian team completely boycotted the ceremonial start of the competition, so the blue and yellow team did not participate in the traditional march of nations and was not represented in the video presentations of the participating countries.
Why Ukraine boycotted the ceremony
The reason for the boycott was the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete.
In particular, the following athletes will compete in the 2026 Paralympic Games:
- 6 Russian athletes
- 4 Belarusian athletes
They were allowed to participate in the competition under their own national flags, which was the first such case since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
For this reason, Ukraine has decided to boycott the opening ceremony, although athletes will continue to compete in the games themselves.
Fourteen other countries have joined the boycott
Other countries also supported Ukraine’s position. The following countries joined the boycott of the opening ceremony:
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- Latvia
- Estonia
- Netherlands
- Canada
- Croatia
- Lithuania
- Germany
- Austria
- Romania
- United Kingdom
- France
In addition, the Suspilne Sport TV channel refused to broadcast the opening ceremony.
How many athletes are representing Ukraine
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place from March 6 to 15.
Ukraine has obtained 25 licenses to participate in the competitions. In total, 35 Paralympians will represent the country, including:
- 25 athletes
- 10 guides who assist athletes with visual impairments.
The Ukrainian team will compete in four sports:
- para snowboarding
- para-biathlon
- Paralympic racing
- Para-alpine skiing.
