Verona, Italy. Ukrainian competitors will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony on March 6 in Verona, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine said on Friday. The committee cited the authorization of some Russian and Belarusian athletes with their national flags.
Slots for Russian and Belarusian athletes
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allocated 10 combined slots to Russian and Belarusian athletes for the upcoming Games, prompting controversy amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia, excluded from much international competition due to the war, has said it is wrong to mix sport and politics and that targeting disabled athletes is offensive.
Ukraine’s response and demands
“The community of Ukrainian Paralympians and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are outraged by the cynical decision of the International Paralympic Committee to grant bipartite slots to russia and belarus (sic),” the Ukrainian committee said in a statement. It announced a boycott of the ceremony and demanded that its flag not be used there.
The stance follows the disqualification from the Winter Games of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet commemorating athletes killed in the war.
Boycott by officials, athletes to compete
Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi has said Ukrainian officials will boycott the March 6-15 Paralympics, though the nation’s athletes will still take part.
An IPC spokesperson told Reuters it was in direct contact with Ukraine’s Paralympic Committee and the matter would be discussed internally.
Event allocations and qualification dispute
Russia will have two spots in Para alpine skiing, two in cross-country skiing and two in snowboarding. Belarus was awarded four places, all in cross-country skiing.
“We draw attention to the fact that neither russia nor belarus (sic) went through the qualification process to obtain licences to participate in the Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina,” the Ukrainian statement added, denouncing the “horrific military aggression on the territory of Ukraine.”
Previous protest at Sochi
In 2014, Ukraine sent only one athlete from a 23-person team to the Sochi Paralympics’ opening ceremony in protest against Russia’s seizure of the Crimean Peninsula.
How do you think international sports bodies should handle participation and symbolism during ongoing conflicts?
