Poland to boycott Paralympics opening over Russian, Belarusian flags

Poland will boycott the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Paralympics in Italy in protest at Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete under their national flags, Warsaw announced on Thursday.

"In the face of ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in sports competitions using their flags and anthems is absolutely unacceptable," Poland's Sports Ministry said in a statement.

Warsaw argued that allowing national symbols effectively normalizes Russia's war and contradicts the values that international sports are meant to uphold.

The ministry added that, in response to a decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), representatives of the government will not attend the opening ceremony of the games, which are set for March 6-15. On Tuesday, the IPC confirmed that it had granted permission for six Russian and four Belarusian para-athletes to compete in the Winter Paralympics under their national flags.

The head of the Polish Paralympic Committee told broadcaster Polsat News that the IPC's decision was "scandalous" and claimed it was the result of lobbying by Russia.

Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from the Beijing Paralympics in 2022, which took place just weeks after the start of the Ukraine war. In 2023, the IPC softened the ban, allowing athletes from both countries to compete as "neutral" participants without national symbols such as flags or anthems.

Last year, however, the IPC restored full membership rights to Russia and Belarus, a decision that was condemned by Poland and 32 other countries.

In contrast, in the current Winter Olympics, set to end on Sunday, Russians and Belarusians are competing as "Individual Neutral Athletes." The Olympics are governed by the International Olympic Committee, which partners with the International Paralympic Committee but is separate.

Poland has been one of Ukraine's strongest supporters since the start of the war in 2022 and has repeatedly called for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events unless they compete as neutrals.