Ukraine has expressed gratitude to the German Association for Sport for the Disabled for its decision to boycott the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. This announcement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on March 3.
Sybiha commended Germany’s State Minister for Sports and Volunteering, Kristiane Schenderlein, for her commitment to not attending the ceremony and for the federal government’s clear support of this stance. He emphasized that Germany is demonstrating principled leadership in European sports, stating, “Dignity is not up for discussion.”
The foreign minister noted that 11 countries, along with the European Union, have made the moral decision to boycott the event, which he described as featuring the bloodied flags of Russia and Belarus.
Earlier this week, Valeriy Sushkevych, the president of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee, revealed that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has prohibited the Ukrainian team from using uniforms that depict internationally recognized Ukrainian territory during the Games.
The IPC views the team’s uniforms featuring a map of Ukraine as a political statement. In February, the same organization decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Paralympics under their national flags, a significant shift since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, which involved incursions from Belarusian territory.
The Winter Paralympic Games are scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Due to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, the Ukrainian team plans to boycott the opening ceremony.
Ukraine has thanked Germany for its decision to boycott the 2026 Winter Paralympic opening ceremony, joining 11 other nations in protest against the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IPC's recent rulings have sparked controversy, particularly regarding the Ukrainian team's uniforms.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty