Winter Paralympics walks tightrope as Russia’s inclusion risks ceremony boycott

Feb 28, 2026 - 07:45
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Winter Paralympics walks tightrope as Russia’s inclusion risks ceremony boycott

The IPC’s Andrew Parsons tries to ease growing tension as Ukrainian president calls the decision ‘dirty’

The Paralympic torch left its home in Stoke Mandeville this week and has arrived at the gateway of the Dolomites. The towns of Bolzano and Trento will host “flame festivals” over the weekend to welcome the Paralympic movement and commemorate its progress on the 50th anniversary of the first Winter Games. It will be a joyous, poignant start to what could be a fractious fortnight.

While the flame is being passed between torch bearers, the leaders of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will be scrambling to contain what increasingly resembles a diplomatic incident. A decision last week to invite 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Winter Paralympics at Milano Cortina has been met with full-throated criticism from across Europe and beyond. Continue reading...

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