The Ukrainian national team will not participate in the closing ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games. This was announced by the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine, UNN reports.
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The reason for boycotting the closing ceremony was the presence of Russian and Belarusian delegations at the festivities, who were allowed to compete under their own flags. The Ukrainian team considers such a decision unacceptable against the backdrop of the ongoing war against Ukraine.
At the beginning of the Games, the Ukrainian delegation also ignored the opening ceremony for the same reason. At that time, representatives of 15 other countries did not attend the festivities.
On the eve of the end of the competition, Ukrainian Paralympian Hryhoriy Vovchynskyi stated that the team would consider a boycott at a general meeting, emphasizing the unacceptability of participating alongside athletes from countries waging war against Ukraine.
At the 2026 Paralympic Games, the Ukrainian national team won 17 medals, including three gold. In the overall medal standings, the team ranks seventh.
Ukrainians banned from displaying flags and map on uniforms during games in Milan12.03.26, 18:43