Ukrainian team has been banned from wearing uniforms with map of country at 2026 Paralympics. PHOTO

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided to ban Ukrainian athletes from wearing uniforms with a map of Ukraine at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy.

This was announced by Valerii Sushkevych, president of the National Paralympic Committee, according to Censor.NET.

What is known?

According to Sushkevych, the International Paralympic Committee does not allow Ukraine to wear the uniform because it allegedly emphasises the country's full territorial integrity.

"We prepared our sports, no, not even sports, but ceremonial uniforms for our team. The International Paralympic Committee said, 'No, no, no, that won't work!' They said that these uniforms were political. And they said that no one would allow us to wear them. This uniform was very beautiful, very symbolic and very emphatically 'shouted' about Ukraine's place in the world, in Europe, with all its territories without occupation by Russia," he said.

According to the president of the NOC, the uniform was designed by one of Ukraine's leading designers, Viktor Anisimov, who had previously worked on the uniform for the Ukrainian team for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Loyalty to Russia at the Paralympics

However, due to the IPC ban, the design had to be changed. Sushkevych noted that the uniform was symbolic and clearly demonstrated Ukraine's place in the world and in Europe with all its territories.

Due to the ban on the original uniform, a new one had to be made urgently and sent by bus to Italy, where the team is already located.

"And now we were more radical. Our radicalism is explained by the fact that after Paris, this escalation of loyalty to "rasha" took place with new force, a new wave. That is, there are already Paralympic officials sitting there, guarding against Ukraine declaring itself a country without occupation and that it will fight in this form against the aggressor country," Sushkevych added.

Updated

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine provided Suspilne Sport with an image of the parade uniform, which the IPC banned from use at the 2026 Games due to its "political emphasis":

What preceded this?

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 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 refused to participate in the official ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina.
Ukraine cancelled the broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics after representatives from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate under their flags.