KYIV: Ukrainian officers will boycott the Paralympic Winter Video games, Kyiv mentioned on Wednesday (Feb 18), after the Worldwide Paralympic Committee allowed Russian athletes to compete underneath their nationwide flag.
Ukraine additionally urged different international locations to shun the opening ceremony in Verona on Mar 6, in a part of a rising standoff between Kyiv and worldwide sporting federations 4 years since Russia’s invasion.
Six Russians and 4 Belarusians will likely be allowed to participate underneath their very own flags on the Milan-Cortina Paralympics fairly than as impartial athletes, the Video games’ governing physique confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.
Russia has been principally banned from worldwide sport since Moscow invaded Ukraine. The IPC’s resolution triggered fury in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s sports activities minister Matviy Bidny known as the choice “outrageous”, and accused Russia and Belarus of turning “sport right into a software of warfare, lies, and contempt”.
“Ukrainian public officers won’t attend the Paralympic Video games. We won’t be current on the opening ceremony,” he mentioned on social media.
“We won’t participate in some other official Paralympic occasions,” he added.
Ukrainian International Minister Andriy Sybiga mentioned he had instructed Kyiv’s ambassadors to induce different international locations to additionally shun the opening ceremony.
“Permitting the flags of aggressor states to be raised on the Paralympic Video games whereas Russia’s warfare in opposition to Ukraine rages on is unsuitable – morally and politically,” Sybiga mentioned on social media.
The EU’s sports activities commissioner Glenn Micallef mentioned he would additionally skip the opening ceremony.
International Minister Antonio Tajani of Italy, which is internet hosting the Video games, joined the criticism and known as on the IPC to rethink its resolution.
