Germany to boycott Paralympics parade over Russia flag decision
German Paralympic team (Photo: Oliver Kremer / DBS)
German para-athletes will not participate in the parade of nations during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy due to the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, the German Sports Association for People with Disabilities announced on March 3.
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from March 6 to 15.
"The German Sports Association for People with Disabilities strongly criticizes the IPC's decision to grant wild cards to Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Milan and Cortina Paralympic Games," the statement said.
The resolution adopted by the General Assembly in September 2025 and the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) did not explicitly provide for any obligation to grant starting places to these countries. The IPC's decision poses a particular challenge to the Paralympic movement.
"Against this backdrop, we have jointly decided that the German team at the Paralympic Games will not participate in the parade of nations during the opening ceremony in Verona. This decision serves to focus on the upcoming competitions and respectfully express solidarity with the Ukrainian delegation. The German team will participate in the pre-recorded video footage shown during the opening ceremony as planned. In doing so, the team is combining its focus on sporting results with a clear, value-based position."
Earlier, the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee announced a boycott of the opening ceremony. Together with Ukrainian embassies in Europe, they called on other European countries and Paralympic committees to show solidarity by refusing to participate. The Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Netherlands and Canada have already joined the initiative. Representatives of the Croatian government will also not attend the opening ceremony.
In September 2025, the IPC’s General Assembly decided to fully restore the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee, returning the Russian Federation’s flag and anthem for the 2026 Paralympics. Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes are set to compete in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Previously, at least 10 participants in Russia’s war against Ukraine have expressed a desire to compete in the Winter and Summer Paralympics.
Russia and Belarus were fully excluded from the 2022 Winter Paralympics following full-scale invasion of Ukraine and competed under neutral status at the 2024 Summer Games.
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