Russian Athletes Barred from 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Thursday.

"The positions of FIS [International Ski and Snowboard Federation], IBU [the International Biathlon Union] and World Curling currently mean that athletes and teams from Belarus and Russia cannot compete in their events, making it impossible for them to qualify for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games," the statement cited IPC President Andrew Parsons as saying, The Caspian Post reports, citing TASS.

"With the positions of the four International Federations responsible for the six sports on the Paralympic Winter Games program clear, I hope the focus will now be very much on the outstanding athletes and NPCs that will compete at Milano Cortina 2026 next March, as well as the tremendous transformational legacies the Paralympic Winter Games will create," Parsons noted.

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games are scheduled to run in Italy’s Milano Cortina between March 6 and 15. The event is set mark the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games, with the first edition having taken place in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden in 1976.

Regarding the sledge ice hockey qualifiers of the Russian and Belarusian teams for the next year’s tournament, Parsons stated: "While Russia can now compete in Para ice hockey competitions as a result of September’s IPC General Assembly decision, World Para Ice Hockey has confirmed that it is not possible in practice for the nation to qualify for March’s Games."

"Belarus does not currently have a Para ice hockey team competing at the international level," he added.

Late last month, RPC President Pavel Rozhkov announced that the IPC ruled to reinstate the RPC in its rights permitting Russian Paralympians to compete at their full capacity, including under the national flag colors and to the tune of the country’s anthem.

The Paralympic Games are scheduled to follow the 2026 Winter Olympic Games that are planned to be held in Italy, in the cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The Olympic event will take place from February 6-22, 2026.