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More than ten nations, including Ukraine, Germany, Canada, and several other European countries, have announced they will not participate in the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy. This collective decision stems from the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags.

United Kingdom Joins Boycott

The most recent country to declare its participation in the boycott is the United Kingdom. Officials and the UK's Paralympic team have confirmed their withdrawal from both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

Reasons for the Boycott

Prior to the UK's announcement, teams from Ukraine, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Canada, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia had already declared their intention to boycott the opening ceremony for the same reason. Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, had called for a boycott of the Paralympic opening ceremony.

Russian and Belarusian Athletes' Participation

A total of six Russian and four Belarusian athletes are expected to participate in the Paralympic Games in Italy. This participation is possible after the IPC's General Assembly in September 2025 reinstated the membership of the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees, which had been suspended following the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

The reinstatement allows Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to compete under their national flags. However, the final decision on their participation status rests with the international sports federations.

Court of Arbitration for Sport Ruling

In December 2025, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld appeals from Russian and Belarusian athletes against a decision by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to exclude them from international competitions. Consequently, these Paralympic athletes gained the right to participate in FIS events without a neutral status or national symbols.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism and Sports had previously announced that 7 athletes would represent the national team at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games in Italy.

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