Suspilne refused to broadcast the opening of the 2026 Paralympics due to the participation of Russians and Belarusians
Kyiv • UNN
The Ukrainian public broadcaster will not broadcast the opening ceremony of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games. This decision was made due to the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus under their national symbols.
The Ukrainian public broadcaster has publicly supported the decision of the Ukrainian National Paralympic team to boycott the opening ceremony of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games. The situation is caused by the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus under their national symbols, UNN reports with reference to Suspilne.
Details
Thus, the Ukrainian broadcaster decided not to broadcast the opening ceremony of the upcoming Games. The official statement says that inviting athletes from the above-mentioned countries is unacceptable against the backdrop of military aggression against Ukraine.
The broadcaster emphasizes that the decisions of international sports structures indicate a systemic policy of returning Russian and Belarusian athletes to the world arena. The statement also mentions as an example the disqualification of Vladyslav Heraskevych with his "helmet of memory", which he never used in skeleton competitions.
This is a systemic policy of legitimizing the presence of Russia and Belarus on the world stage. For Ukrainian society, such a position is unacceptable
Recall
The Ukrainian Paralympic team previously announced a boycott of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Games, but confirmed participation in the competitions. The public broadcaster is the official broadcaster of the Paralympic Games in Ukraine, and although the opening ceremony is being boycotted, the competitions themselves, which will take place from March 6 to 15, will be broadcast on Suspilne Sport and on local Suspilne channels.