Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine’s sports minister on Wednesday criticised a decision allowing six Russian athletes to take part in next month’s Milano Cortina Paralympics under their national flag and anthem. He said the move supported Russia’s propaganda.
IPC decision and athlete numbers
Russia and Belarus will have a combined 10 para athletes at next month’s Paralympics following Tuesday’s decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Background on bans and membership rights
Both countries were banned from Paralympic competitions after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but regained full membership rights in the IPC after member organisations voted in September 2025 to lift their partial suspensions. Belarus was a key staging area for the invasion.
Appeal and limited neutral participation
International federations for each sport on the Paralympic Games programme had said they would maintain bans on athletes from those countries, but Russia and Belarus won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, earning a handful of spots.
A limited number of Russian and Belarus athletes are competing as independent neutral athletes without flags or anthems at the ongoing Milano Cortina Winter Games, with the Olympic Committees of the two nations still sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
Bidnyi’s reaction and statements
“The decision by the Paralympic organisers to allow killers and their accomplices to take part in the Paralympic Games under national flags is disappointing and outrageous,” Ukrainian minister Matvii Bidnyi said on social media.
“Giving them a platform means giving a voice to war propaganda. When the russian (sic) flag is raised on the international stage, it becomes part of russia’s (sic) propaganda machine,” he said.
“The flags of russia and belarus have no place at international sporting events that stand for fairness, integrity, and respect. These are the flags of regimes that have turned sport into a tool of war, lies, and contempt,” Bidnyi said.
Sport allocations for Russia and Belarus
Russia will have two spots in Para alpine skiing, two in Para cross-country skiing and two in Para snowboard, while Belarus were awarded four slots in total, all in cross-country skiing – one male and three female.
Related criticism by Ukrainian athlete
Bidnyi’s comments came hours after Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the Winter Olympics over a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, criticised Games organisers’ decision to have a Russian carry a sign ahead of the Ukraine delegation at the opening ceremony.
How do you view the IPC decision on whether Russian and Belarus athletes should compete under national flags?