The Finnish Paralympic Committee refused to participate in the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Paralympics. This decision is a protest against the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions under national symbols.
The Finnish Paralympic Committee has officially refused to participate in the opening ceremonies of the Games in protest against the return of aggressors to competitions under national symbols. This decision is an act of solidarity with Ukraine and a response to the calls of the international community regarding the inadmissibility of legitimizing representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus in world sports. This is reported by UNN.
Details
The boycott is a minimal step of solidarity with Ukraine and corresponds to its call
– emphasized Sari Rautio, head of the Finnish Paralympic Committee, explaining the organization's position.
Protest against decisions of the International Paralympic Committee
Despite the participation of Finnish athletes in the competitions themselves, ignoring the official ceremony will be a demonstrative step against the policy of the International Paralympic Committee.
Czech Paralympians to boycott opening ceremony of Games over admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus21.02.26, 01:16 • 4834 views
The Finnish side considers the admission of athletes from aggressor countries under their national flags to be a mistaken step that contradicts Olympic values. Thus, Helsinki joins a number of countries that are looking for ways to express their disagreement with the presence of representatives of Russia and Belarus at Italian venues.
Format of Ukraine's participation and international coordination
The 2026 Paralympics, which will begin on March 6 in Italy, will take place amid serious political tension. Ukraine has also confirmed its participation in the sports part of the games, but, like Finland, will refuse to attend official ceremonies and joint events.
The coordination of actions between the national committees of different states is aimed at attracting the world's attention to the war in Ukraine as much as possible and achieving the complete isolation of the aggressor in the international sports space.
"The decision cannot be overturned" – IPC issues new statement on Russian and Belarusian participation in the 2026 Paralympics24.02.26, 13:13 • 2786 views
