Italy opposes letting Russia and Belarus use flags and anthems at Winter Paralympics

MILAN – Olympic hosts Italy on Feb 19 called for a reversal of the decision

to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete

with national flags and anthems at the Paralympic Winter Games in March.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to reconsider its stance due to Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit.

The Italian government expressed its “absolute opposition” to the IPC’s ruling in September, they said in a statement late on Feb 18, adding that Rome’s stance echoed that of 33 other countries and the European Commission.

“Russia’s continued violation of the truce and Olympic and Paralympic ideals, supported by Belarus, is incompatible with the participation of their athletes in the Games, except as neutral individual athletes,” the statement said.

Russia’s embassy in Italy said it was unacceptable to target athletes with disabilities.

“The harsh and undiplomatic stance taken by the two Italian politicians, backed by the authority of the government they represent, is offensive and deserves widespread condemnation,” it said on Telegram.

A planned press conference by IPC president Andrew Parsons for Feb 20 was cancelled, according to the Olympics media site.

No explanation was given.

Russia and its ally Belarus, which was used as a staging area for attacking Ukraine, were banned from Paralympic competitions after the 2022 invasion but regained full rights in the IPC in a vote by members in 2025.

International federations for each sport on the Paralympic Games programme had said they would maintain bans on athletes from those countries.

However, Russia and Belarus won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport back in December against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

A limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing as neutral independents without flags or anthems at the ongoing Winter Games, with Olympic committees of both nations still sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.

After ski mountaineering men’s sprint silver medallist Nikita Filippov won the first medal at Milano-Cortina 2026 for individual neutral athletes on Feb 19, the Russian expressed his hope that in the coming years there would be “no more neutral athletes, it’ll be just like in the past”.

The 23-year-old added: “It’s hard because I see athletes with flags of their nations and they are in the uniform of their nations, but it’s OK. Everybody knows what country I am from.”

An Italian ministerial source denied a report in newspaper La Repubblica suggesting that Mr Tajani might move to block visas for Russians.

“The Italian authorities would not take any action to block visas for athletes or their entourage if their participation was confirmed,” the source said.

The Winter Paralympics run from March 6 to 15.

Ukraine has said it will not send any officials to the Paralympics, while Poland’s Sports Ministry and the European Commissioner for Sport plan to boycott the opening ceremony. 

Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi had called the Paralympics’ decision “outrageous”, and accused Russia and Belarus of turning “sport into a tool of war, lies, and contempt”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he had instructed Kyiv’s ambassadors to urge other countries to also shun the opening ceremony.

“Allowing the flags of aggressor states to be raised at the Paralympic Games while Russia’s war against Ukraine rages on is wrong – morally and politically,” he said on social media. REUTERS, AFP