Ukraine received an ovation.
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The XIV Winter Paralympic Games opened in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo on Friday. The opening ceremony took place in Verona's historic arena — an ancient Roman amphitheater built in the 1st century AD, which seats about 12,000 spectators, writes the BBC.
The ceremony was colorful but was overshadowed by a scandal that began developing much earlier — when in September 2025, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) fully reinstated the status of the Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus, which had been suspended after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The final decision on admission was made at the level of individual federations. Three out of four did not approve the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Games in Italy; the ice hockey federation gave permission too late.
However, Moscow and Minsk were able to challenge the decision of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. As a result, six athletes from Russia and four from Belarus were admitted to the Games in Milan-Cortina.
In protest, 7 delegations boycotted the opening ceremony — from Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
France and Great Britain refused to send their official representatives to the ceremony, also in protest against Russia's inclusion in the program, but this decision did not apply to athletes.
But French and British athletes, as well as the national teams of Canada and Germany, also did not attend the opening ceremony "for technical reasons." According to IPC representative Craig Spence, these teams stated that they want to "prioritize athletic performance."
The flags of these 11 countries were carried during the athletes' parade by Games volunteers, but the athletes did not appear in the stadium.
The Russian national team, which appeared under its flag for the first time since 2014 (the use of Russian state attributes had been banned even before the invasion of Ukraine due to doping scandals), was booed by the stands.
The flag of Ukraine, brought out shortly after (countries appear in the stadium in alphabetical order), was met with a prolonged ovation.
"We understand that many countries are dissatisfied with the decision [on admitting Russians], but it was made through a very democratic process," the International Paralympic Committee stated.
Citing the same democratic processes, the IPC intends to allow Russian soldiers wounded in the war with Ukraine to participate in future Paralympic Games. This was stated by International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons.
An investigation by the Polish publication Vot Tak, reported by The Moscow Times, showed that Russia is rapidly transitioning wounded military personnel into parasports.
According to the Russian Paralympic Committee, "at least 70" veterans are already competing in national teams.
"When the General Assembly decided to lift the disqualification of Russia and Belarus, it was decided to treat them the same way as any other National Paralympic Committee. In many countries, athletes are recruited from the armed forces, so if Russia does the same, it will not be alone," Parsons told BBC Sport on the opening day of the Winter Paralympic Games in Italy.
He also urged not to forget the historical roots of the Paralympic movement.
"We must remember where we came from. Our movement began after World War II — precisely with wounded servicemen," he said.
"What the Paralympic movement offers is an opportunity after war. We are against any war and any conflict, but we offer a chance for people who have been wounded in war to reintegrate into society through sport."
"For us, it doesn't matter what they did on the battlefield in the past. Of course, war crimes are a different matter, but our movement offers a second chance," stated the head of the International Paralympic Committee.
The Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina will take place without representatives from Iran.
The IPC stated that the only athlete preparing to represent the country at the Games "cannot safely travel to Italy" due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The withdrawal of skier Abolfazl Khatibi Mianaei was confirmed on Friday, a few hours before the opening ceremony of the Games in Verona.
IPC President Andrew Parsons stated that it is "very disappointing for world sport, and especially for Abolfazl," that he will not be able to participate in the Games.
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