"VAN" (Sports Desk - 25.02.2026) :: The announcement that six Russians and four Belarusians will participate under their flags and anthems at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games has been met with heavy criticism, but the President of the International Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons has said there is “no legal way to not have Russia and Belarus” at the Games since the decision to reintegrate them was taken by the IPC’s highest decision-making body, the General Assembly.
In a press conference at the Allianz Tower in Milan, Italy, on Moday (February 23), the eve of the Paralympic flame lighting ceremony which will take place in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, Parsons explained the “hard facts” behind the decision, stressing that it was not his personal decision but that of the General Assembly and it’s his job to implement it.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine has declared that its delegation of athletes and officials will boycott the Opening Ceremony of the Games due to open on 6 March at the historic Verona Arena. The Committee also demanded that the Ukrainian flag should not be used at the event.
Russia, alongside its ally Belarus, had been banned from international sporting events after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Both nations were allowed to take part in the Paris 2024 Paralympics as neutral athletes.
In his explanation, Parsons pointed out the following:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY REINTEGRATES RUSSIA AND BELARUS September 2025: The IPC general assembly in Seoul on Saturday first voted against a full suspension for Russia 111-55, with 11 abstentions, and then voted against a partial suspension 91-77, with eight abstentions.
The assembly also voted against a full suspension for Belarus 119-48 (nine abstentions) and against a partial suspension 103-63 (10 abstentions).
However, since the sports' governing bodies still upheld their bans the likelihood of athletes from both countries competing at Milano Cortina 2026 was next to nothing, Parsons explained.
CAS DECISION AGAINST FIS December 2025: The International Ski and Snowboard Federation lifted its ban following a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict in favour of the Russian Ski Association, the Belarusian Ski Union, and a group of athletes from both countries.
BIPARTITE METHOD The CAS decision allowed for Russian and Belarusian athletes to apply for qualification through the bipartite method, said Parsons, who emphasised that it’s not a “wild card”.
He added: “In the bipartite, you don't take the nationalities into account, so to say, you go for the best athletes who have not otherwise qualified.”
THE CONFIRMATION In statement last week, the IPC said: "The IPC can confirm that NPC Russia has been awarded a total of six slots: two in Para alpine skiing (one male, one female), two in Para cross-country skiing (one male, one female), and two in Para snowboard (both male)."
OUTRAGE In response, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine hit out at the allocation: “The community of Ukrainian Paralympians and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are outraged by the cynical decision of the International Paralympic Committee to grant bipartite slots to Russia and Belarus.”
BOYCOTTING THE OPENING CEREMONY When asked for his opinion on the decision of Ukraine to boycott the Opening Ceremony, Parsons said: “Every National Paralympic Committee whose athletes qualified is invited to take part in the Opening Ceremony Parade.
“Again, the decision was to treat both National Paralympic Committees (Russia and Belarus) as any other National Paralympic Committee. So we don't have a legal way to not have Russia and Belarus, if they want to attend the Opening Ceremony Parade. We don't have it.
“Ukraine, as any other NPC participating, they are invited to attend and to be there with their flags. For different reasons, NPCs can decide not to attend. We strongly encourage them to attend. The Opening Ceremony should not be politicised, in our view. We respect and we understand different views. If they don't want to participate, we regret, but we respect. We will not punish, we will not do anything negative, we will just accept the fact.”
POLITICISING SPORTS On whether he was afraid that the IPC’s decision would make more people boycott the Paralympics Opening Ceremony, Parsons said: “We have not received any official communication about any boycott. What we’ve heard, we heard from the media.
“What I am afraid of is that sometimes this situation can be used to politicise sports. I'll give you an example. We have national Paralympic committees who are saying to the media, and I can quote one, Czechia. They mentioned a couple of days ago that they are boycotting the Opening Ceremony. In December, during their Pre-Delegation Registration Meeting (pre-DRM), they had already informed us that they did not want to attend the Opening Ceremony because they were focusing on the athletic performances of the athletes who have to participate in competitions the following day. So that kind of attitude is a concern.
“We were also informed about people who told the media that they were not participating in the games, when the same person refused the invitation to come to the Paralympic Games, saying that they would be on private holidays. And then they say that it is because they are boycotting. That is why I am afraid.”
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