Austria, Romania, and Britain to join boycott of Paralympic Games opening - MFA
Kyiv • UNN
Austria, Romania, and Great Britain will not send officials to the opening of the 2026 Paralympic Games. This has increased the number of countries boycotting the event due to the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to 14, plus the EU.
Austria, Romania, and Great Britain have confirmed that their officials will not attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games. This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, as reported by UNN.
Thus, 14 countries and the EU have already refused to participate in this event, where the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russia and Belarus to wave their blood-stained flags. And the number of such countries is growing. We are grateful to all our partners who have taken this morally correct position
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that "these are not just flags - these are symbols of an aggressive war in which at least 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have died, 800 sports facilities have been damaged, and hundreds of thousands of war crimes have been committed."
We strongly urge all countries to refrain from sending officials to this ceremony. Say "no" to war propaganda and the whitewashing of war crimes through sports
Let's add
Earlier it was known that 11 countries and the EU decided to boycott the opening of the Paralympic Games in Italy due to the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes with their flags and anthems.
Recall
The Ukrainian national team has finally formed its application for the 2026 Paralympic Games, winning 25 licenses, which is the best indicator in history. 35 athletes will compete in four sports, including nine debutants.