Ukraine will boycott the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics in protest against the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision to permit a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
The IPC has cleared a combined total of 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Games. While Ukrainian athletes will still compete, the country's sports minister, Matviy Bidnyi, stated that no Ukrainian officials will attend the opening ceremony or any official events.
Minister Bidnyi declared, "In response to the outrageous decision to let Russians and Belarusians compete under their national flags, Ukrainian public officials will not attend the Paralympic Games. We will not be present at the opening ceremony. We will not take part in any other official Paralympic events."
He expressed gratitude to officials from "the free world" who will join the boycott, adding, "We will keep fighting!"