Athletes from Belarus and Russia will not participate in the 2026 Paralympic Games in Italy

Athletes from Belarus and Russia were not allowed to participate in the 2026 Games in Italy. This was reported to by on the official website of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

In September, the IPC General Assembly voted to lift the partial suspension of the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of Belarus and Russia, restoring full rights and privileges to both NPCs.

However, it is not the International Paralympic Committee that decides whether Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes will participate in the competition, but the four specialized sports federations: biathlon, skiing and snowboarding, and parahockey.

According to the decision of the international federations, athletes from Belarus and Russia cannot participate in their competitions because the federations of skiing, biathlon, snowboarding did not approve their participation in international competitions, and the parahockey federation responded when the qualification process was over.

"Just as the IPC fully respects the decision of the IPC General Assembly not to uphold the partial disqualification of the NPCs of Belarus and Russia, we also fully respect the decision of each international federation regarding the sports they govern," said IPC President Andrew Parsons.

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will be held from March 6 to 15 in two Italian cities: Milan and Cortina. There will be 79 sets of awards in six sports.

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