Paralympics 2026: Russian and Belarusian athletes will not participate in the Winter Games

Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes will not participate in the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, despite the International Paralympic Committee lifting their ban.

Although the International Paralympic Committee oversees the Games, there are four separate governing bodies responsible for the six sports held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Three of the governing bodies decided to maintain the ban on athletes from the two countries, and although Russia and Belarus are now allowed to compete in ice hockey, the decision came too late for them to participate in the qualifiers.

Both countries’ participation in Paralympic competition was suspended following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus being a close ally of Russia.

A partial ban – allowing athletes to compete as neutrals – is set to be imposed in 2023.

IOC members then voted to lift the bans for the two countries at a meeting last month, allowing para athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their flags.

However, the four international federations told the IOC that “as a practical matter, it is unlikely that any athlete from the two countries will qualify for the March Games.”

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the International Biathlon Union (IBU) and World Curling have not lifted their bans, while World Para Ice Hockey has already decided which countries will participate in the qualifying tournament for the remaining two places at the Games.

“In the same way that the International Paralympic Committee respects the decision of the IPC General Assembly not to maintain the partial suspensions of the Belarusian NPC and the Russian NPC, we also fully respect the decisions of each international federation in relation to the sports they govern,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons.

“The positions of the FIS, the International Boxing Federation and the World Curling Federation currently mean that athletes and teams from Belarus and Russia cannot compete in their events, making it impossible for them to qualify for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games.

“While Belarus and Russia can now compete in para-ice hockey competitions, at this late stage of the qualifying cycle, the six teams participating in the Paralympic qualifying tournament in November have already been determined.

“I hope the focus will now be firmly on the outstanding athletes and NPCs who will compete at Milano Cortina 2026 next March, as well as the hugely transformative legacy that the Winter Paralympics will create.”