Australia and France joined the other 14 countries in refusing to attend the 2026 Paralympics opening ceremony over Russia’s and Belarus’s participation under national flags, amid broader objections that some Russian athletes are veterans of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The statement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, on March 6.
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Sybiha wrote that Australia and France had confirmed their officials would not attend the ceremony.
He called the move a principled decision and thanked partners for what he described as a clear show of solidarity with Ukraine.
Sybiha also expressed gratitude to Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. He noted that those countries backed a separate statement condemning the International Paralympic Committee’s decision.
He argued that allowing Russian and Belarusian state symbols weakens efforts to isolate both regimes during Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Sybiha added that the decision “remains unacceptable” and that “sport must stand for peace, fairness, and respect for international law.”
Separately, IPC President Andrew Parsons defended the decision to allow Russian injured soldiers to compete at the Paralympics, stating that their past combat service was not decisive.
He added that while war crimes were a separate matter, the Paralympic movement was offering “a second chance.”
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Meanwhile, Ukraine and Estonia stated that they will boycott the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics to protest the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
Officials said the move is meant to uphold the principle that aggressor states should not be normalized in international sport while the war continues, and to signal solidarity with Ukraine’s athletes and victims.
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