Austria, Britain and Romania to join boycott of Paralympics opening ceremony, — Sybiha

Austria, Great Britain and Romania join diplomatic boycott of Paralympics opening ceremony

Austria, Romania, and the United Kingdom have joined the boycott of the Paralympic Games opening ceremony due to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. Their representatives will not be present at the event.

This was announced on social media by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, according to Censor.NET.

14 countries and the EU will boycott the ceremony

Austria, Romania, and the United Kingdom have confirmed that their officials will not attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games. Already 14 countries and the EU have refused to participate in this event, at which the International Paralympic Committee has allowed Russia and Belarus to wave their bloodstained flags. And this number is growing," the minister said.

Sybiha noted that Russian and Belarusian state symbols at competitions are "not just flags—they are symbols of an aggressive war in which at least 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed, 800 sports facilities have been damaged, and hundreds of thousands of war crimes have been committed."

"We strongly urge all countries to refrain from sending officials to this ceremony. Say 'no' to military propaganda and the whitewashing of war crimes through sport," added the head of the foreign ministry.

What preceded it?

The International Paralympic Committee has allowed some athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the 2026 Winter Paralympics under their national flags.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine has announced that due to the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus, the Ukrainian delegation will not take part in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The Estonian Paralympic Committee (EPC) and the country's Ministry of Culture have declined to participate in the official ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina.
Ukraine canceled broadcasting of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games after representatives of Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate under their flags.