Seven countries to boycott Paralympics opening ceremony over Russian participation

Organisers of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics have confirmed that seven countries will boycott the opening ceremony in protest against the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag. The announcement was made on Thursday, ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place in Verona on Friday.

According to organisers, the boycott follows the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) recent decision to permit six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to participate in the Games under their respective national flags. This marks the first time since 2014 that Russian athletes will compete under their own flag at the Paralympics.

Russia and Belarus were previously banned from the 2022 Paralympics following the invasion of Ukraine. However, they were later allowed to compete as neutral athletes at the Paris Summer Paralympics two years after the ban. The IPC's latest announcement has led several countries, including Ukraine, to declare their intention to boycott the opening ceremony.

"You will have seen also in the last 10 days news of some National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) who have decided not to come for political reasons and there’s been various numbers (reported)," an IPC official stated. The organisers did not specify which countries are participating in the boycott, but confirmed the total number as seven.

The decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags has sparked significant controversy among participating nations. The organisers have acknowledged the political motivations behind the boycott and noted that the number of countries involved has varied in different reports.

The opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics is set to proceed as planned, despite the absence of the seven boycotting countries. The IPC has not commented further on the potential impact of the boycott on the Games.