Czechia has joined Ukraine in pledging to boycott the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games opening ceremony over a decision by the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags.
Also on Friday, Ukrainian Paralympic Committee President Valeriy Sushkevych told AFP that he felt the IPC decision to – in his words, let Russian athletes compete under a flag “soaked in Ukrainian blood” – was a betrayal.
As per AFP, the Czech Paralympic Committee said they would not participate in the opening ceremony “in any way.”
“We disagree with the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Games. We have always been against their return in any form,” their statement reads. “While the aggression in Ukraine lasts, Russian and Belarusian athletes have no place in international events.”
The decision, confirmed on Tuesday, has already drawn international condemnation.
EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who described it as “unacceptable,” has also promised to boycott the opening ceremony.
Estonia, too, has reacted with outrage – with its public broadcaster saying that it would not screen any paralympic events including Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their own flags.
“Sport does not exist in a vacuum. Forcing Ukrainians to compete alongside representatives of the aggressor is morally unacceptable,” Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, said on social media. “The international sports community must stand for human life, justice and dignity, not normalize aggression.”
Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from participating in the last Winter Paralympic Games, which were held less than a month after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A de facto ban on Russian participation in high-level international sporting events has been in place ever since. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s call to lift the ban at the beginning of February was recently echoed by International Ice Hockey Federation chief Luc Tardif.
The IPC have defended their decision, saying that it was decided by way of a “democratic” vote in September 2025.
“We appreciate that many countries are upset with the decision, but it was a very democratic process,” IPC communications officer Craig Spence told AFP.