Winter Paralympic Games 2026 in Italy declared open

March 7, 2026

TL;DR

The XIV Winter Paralympic Games have been declared open by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Verona.
The Russian team's flag was carried by an Italian volunteer at the opening ceremony.
The Russian national team's admission to the 2026 Paralympics has had a complex history of IPC decisions and challenges.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) initially revised its decision to allow certain Russian athletes to apply for invitations.
The Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus were fully reinstated by the IPC General Assembly in September 2025.
A previous IPC announcement stated Russians would not compete due to stances taken by sports federations, such as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
The Russian Paralympic Committee successfully challenged the FIS decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

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