Statement of the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine

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, which provide the opportunity for 6 russian subjects of Paralympic sport and 4 representatives of belarusian Paralympic sport to participate in the XIV Winter Paralympic Games!

We draw attention to the fact that neither russia nor belarus went through the qualification process to obtain licenses to participate in the Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina!

Moreover, this occurred in accordance with the status of the russian and belarusian Paralympic committees that they received as countries that are carrying out a horrific military aggression on the territory of Ukraine!

Even after the shameful decision of the IPC General Assembly in 2025 regarding the restoration of their full membership in the international Paralympic movement, russia and belarus did not have the right to participate in the Winter Paralympics in Milano-Cortina, as they did not have any legal licenses for their sporting subjects.

In 2022, since russia attacked the peaceful, independent democratic state of Ukraine and began occupying Ukrainian territory, RUSSIA HAS ACQUIRED ITS MAIN STATUS TODAY – A KILLER COUNTRY, AN AGGRESSOR, A TERRORIST, AND BELARUS HAS CLEARLY DEFINED ITSELF AS A SATELLITE COUNTRY OF RUSSIAN IMPERIAL POLICY!

Today, all leaders of Europe, heads of states and governments, and the public are publicly warning about the threats of russia to European countries and, accordingly, are applying sanctions and measures regarding possible military aggression from russia, which is openly stated by deputies of the russian state duma and representatives of the highest political leadership of russia.

Russian government officials at sports forums in the country openly declare that sport for russia is an instrument of state policy.

And at the very time when all of Europe is trying to protect itself from a possible military attack by russia, the International Paralympic Committee makes a decision to grant additional slots for the participation of subjects of russian Paralympic sport in the Winter Paralympics in Milano-Cortina.

Many countries of the world applied for additional slots for the participation of their young athletes and for the start of the development of winter Paralympic sports in their countries, but contrary to the regulations for the allocation of these slots, the IPC made a decision to grant the largest number of slots specifically to russia.

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine states this fact as a continuation of the systemic policy of loyalty by the IPC towards a country that today has become a military threat to virtually all European countries.

It is necessary to realize that russia, which today occupies Ukrainian territories, massively kills civilians – women, children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and immediately raises its flag, soaked in the blood of the civilian population of Ukraine, on the territories it has seized.

It is precisely such a flag of the killer country that the leadership of the IPC allows to be raised on the territory of the Winter Paralympics Milano-Cortina, by granting the maximum number of slots for participation to representatives of russia!

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine draws attention to the fact that this decision has a purely political character, because it completely contradicts the principles of slot allocation for participation in the Paralympics, and gives russia the opportunity to demonstrate its political attributes at the Paralympics-2026, such as the flag and the anthem.

We state that all decisions of the last two years by the IPC, despite statements about distancing from politics, in fact, are following the political dictate of a killer country, a terrorist country, an aggressor country!

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine declares that the Ukrainian Paralympic team and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are boycotting the opening ceremony of the 14th Winter Paralympic Games and demand that the Ukrainian flag not be used at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics-2026!

We will fight for the sporting victories of Ukrainian athletes at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games, and together with athletes of other countries, will strive for the principles of justice in Paralympic sport, supporting the main purpose of the Paralympic Games as the highest sporting forum in the world!

We are grateful to all countries of Europe and the world for solidarity in the fight against the military aggression of russia and its threats to European countries!

We are grateful for the strong reaction of the European Union to the IPC decision regarding the admission of political attributes of russia and its satellite belarus to the territory of the Winter Paralympics-2026, which contradicts the humane, democratic principles of the international Paralympic movement and its civilizational values.

We draw attention to the fact that at the Paralympics-2026 we mark a very significant anniversary – 50 years since the holding of the first Winter Paralympic Games!

And today we call on the leaders of the IPC to remember the high ideals of the international Paralympic movement, which were laid into this movement by Dr. Guttmann following the Second World War, and to stop the political influence of a country that is pushing the world toward a third world war!

WE CALL ON ALL MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO UNITE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR THE IDEALS THAT ARE LAID DOWN IN THE IPC CONSTITUTION, FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT – TO LIVE IN PEACE!..