Czechs to boycott Milan-Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony over Russian participation

The Czech Paralympic Committee said on Friday that Czech athletes will join Ukraine in boycotting the opening ceremony at the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Games over the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Ukrainian team, whose country has been battling a Russian invasion since February 2022, announced a boycott of the March 6 ceremony in Verona late on Thursday.

The protest follows the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

“We will not participate in the opening ceremony in any way,” the Czech Paralympic Committee said in a statement.

“We disagree with the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Games. We have always been against their return in any form. While the aggression in Ukraine lasts, Russian and Belarusian athletes have no place in international events,” it added.

Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Paralympics following the invasion of Ukraine, although they were permitted to compete as neutral athletes in the Paris Summer Paralympics two years later.

The IPC has now decided to allow six Russians and four Belarusians to take part under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Paralympics rather than as neutral athletes.

The Italian government has also expressed its disapproval of the decision while Glenn Micallef, the EU Commissioner for Sport, said he would boycott the ceremony.

“Sport is not only about performance, but also about values which the Russian aggression in Ukraine absolutely denies,” the Czech Paralympic Committee said.