The UK government said Thursday its officials will boycott the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies to protest Russian athletes being allowed to compete under their own flag.
“We strongly oppose the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games,” a government spokesperson said.
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“We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.
“Therefore, no government Ministers or officials will attend the Opening or Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympics.”
Britain’s government boycott comes a day before the opening ceremony is due to take place on Friday in Verona, which French government ministers and officials will also skip.
Ukraine led the boycott against the presence of Russian athletes announced last month, with athletes from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland also refusing to take part in the ceremony.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has allowed six Russians and four athletes from Belarus to compete under their national flags, marking Russia’s return to the international sporting fold for the first time since 2014.
