March 7, 2026

The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games took place in Italy. The Russian flag was carried for the first time since 2014.

The XIV Winter Paralympic Games opened in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo on March 6. For the first time in 12 years, the Russian team participated, their status fully restored by the International Paralympic Committee in September. A total of six Russians were admitted to the games. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Pavel Rozhkov, skier Anastasia Bagiyan, athlete-guide Sergey Sinyakin, and team press attaché Ekaterina Pronina. The final decision on admission was made at the level of individual federations. Three out of four did not approve the participation of Russians, the hockey federation gave permission too late. However, Moscow was able to challenge the decision of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, the BBC writes. In protest, 7 delegations boycotted the opening ceremony - Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Additionally, due to "technical reasons", the teams of Great Britain, France, Canada, and Germany also did not attend the opening. The flags of these 11 countries were carried by volunteers, the athletes themselves did not appear in the stadium. The 2026 Paralympic Games will take place from March 6 to 15.