The decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paralympic Games during the aggression against Ukraine, and under national flags, is wrong – both morally and politically. It disrespects the Paralympic community and all of Ukraine, undermining trust in international sports. This was reported by UNN with reference to a joint statement by the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.
Details
The text of the joint statement by Andriy Sybiha and Matviy Bidnyi states that the official raising of Russian and Belarusian flags at the Paralympic Games justifies the crimes of the Russian occupiers and their Belarusian accomplices.
The flags and anthems of the aggressors embody regimes that wage aggressive war. With these flags in hand, they destroy cities. Holding them, they kill civilians. Russia has turned sports into an instrument of war against the free world, and not just against Ukraine. In the Paralympic movement, the Russian Federation glorifies participants in aggressive war. They are awarded for supporting aggression. Ukraine has already imposed sanctions on Russian sports propagandists, the Paralympic Committee of Russia, and its head, Pavel Rozhkov.
The heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine called on the International Paralympic Committee and the organizing committee of the games to reconsider the decision to allow Russians and Belarusians under national symbols. The Ukrainian agencies also expect a ban on Russian and Belarusian state symbols at the Paralympic Games.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha separately announced that he had instructed Ukrainian ambassadors to hold talks with government officials of their host countries and urge them not to participate in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.
Recall
Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under national flags at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina. Russia received six spots in Paralympic skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding, while Belarus received four spots in cross-country skiing.
Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidnyi stated that the International Paralympic Committee, by its decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Paralympic Games under national flags, is effectively contributing to the "legalization" of the war and crimes of the Russian Federation.