Austrian, Romanian, and UK officials will skip the 2026
Winter Paralympics opening ceremony after the International Paralympic
Committee allowed Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags, Foreign
Minister Andrii Sybiha said on March 4.
Sybiha wrote in a Twitter post that 14 countries and the European Union have already declined to participate after Russia and Belarus were allowed “to wave their blood-stained flags.”
“We appreciate all of our partners who took this morally sound stance,” the minister said.
“These aren't simply flags — these are symbols of an aggressive war that killed at least 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches, damaged 800 sports facilities, and resulted in hundreds of thousands of war crimes.”
He urged all other countries to refrain from sending representatives to the ceremony.
“Say no to war propaganda and sportswashing,” Sybiha
concluded.