Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 19, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleItaly urged the IPC to reconsider allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under national flags and anthems at the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympics amid the Ukraine war. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) The Games run March 6–15, 2026. (washingtonpost.com)
By Giselda Vagnoni
MILAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Olympic hosts Italy called on Thursday for a reversal of the decision to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia's 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 Wednesday, 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.
An IPC spokesman said later the organisation was in talks with the Italian government over the participation of the Russian and Belarusian paralympians.
WINTER PARALYMPICS START ON MARCH 6
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.
Russia and its ally Belarus, which was used as a staging area for attacking Ukraine, were banned from Paralympics competitions after the 2022 invasion but regained full rights in the IPC in a vote by members last year.
International federations for each sport on the Paralympic Games programme had said they would maintain bans on athletes from those countries, but 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.
An Italian ministerial source denied a report in newspaper La Repubblica suggesting that 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.
Ukraine's sports minister said on Wednesday Ukrainian officials would boycott the Paralympics over the participation of the Russians and Belarusians, although its athletes would still take part.
The Winter Paralympics run from March 6- 15.
(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Additional reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alison Williams)
Italy is calling on the International Paralympic Committee to review its decision allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to use national flags and anthems at the 2026 Winter Paralympics. (newsukraine.rbc.ua)
They will be held in Italy from March 6 to March 15, 2026, as part of the Milan Cortina Games. (washingtonpost.com)
In September 2025, IPC members voted to end the partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus, restoring full membership rights to both national committees. (paralympic.org)
In December 2025, CAS curtailed FIS bans, enabling eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate under specified conditions ahead of 2026 events. (fis-ski.com)
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