On February 18, 2026, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) strongly condemned the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the 2026 Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina. The UWC called the decision a betrayal of Paralympic values and called for its immediate reversal.
This was reported by Ukrainian World Congress.
In an open letter, UWC President Pavlo Grod stated that this decision forces war victims to look at the symbols of the states responsible for their injuries, while Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine continues with the active support of Belarus.
“A significant portion of Ukraine’s Paralympic team consists of athletes who were injured directly as a result of this war,” Grod said.
“Many of them have lost limbs, mobility or eyesight due to missile strikes, artillery fire, mines and drones. Forcing these athletes to compete under the flags and anthems of aggressor states is morally unacceptable.”
At the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Ukraine was represented by 140 athletes – the largest delegation in the country’s history, formed in conditions of ongoing hostilities. International media have repeatedly reported on Ukrainian Paralympians – front-line veterans and amputees injured in combat.
The IPC’s decision followed votes at the IPC General Assembly in September 2025 on the lifting of partial sanctions on Russia and Belarus. Although the results of the vote were made public, the names of those who voted remained hidden. According to Grod, such anonymity demonstrates a lack of transparency and moral courage.
“In a matter involving war, mass casualties and credible allegations of war crimes, secrecy is unacceptable,” he stressed.
The UWC called on all National Paralympic Committees and IPC member states to publicly condemn this decision and demand its reversal. At a minimum, according to Grod, Russian and Belarusian athletes should compete only without national symbols for as long as the war continues.
“The Paralympic movement exists to affirm dignity, inclusion and humanity,” Grod stated.
“It cannot credibly proclaim these values by forcing the wounded to stand under the symbols of those who wounded them.”
Photo: Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America
Author: Inna Mikhno