First time since 2014: Russian delegation marched under national flag at Paralympic opening ceremony
Kyiv • UNN
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games took place in Verona. For the first time since 2014, the Russian delegation marched with a flag, carried by an Italian volunteer. The Ukrainian team will miss the opening due to the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games took place in Verona. The Russian delegation, for the first time since 2014, marched with a flag, carried by an Italian volunteer, UNN reports with reference to Russian media.
Details
According to Russian media, the Russian delegation at the ceremony included the president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozhkov, skier Anastasia Bagiyan, leading athlete Sergey Sinyakin, and press attaché Ekaterina Pronina.
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Six Russian athletes will participate in the Paralympics.
Addendum
In February, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine announced that the Ukrainian team would miss the opening of the Paralympics due to the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
After the annexation of Crimea and the start of hostilities in Donbas, Russian athletes were deprived of the opportunity to compete under the national flag and with the anthem of the Russian Federation.