Twelve countries will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, scheduled for Friday, March 6 at the Arena di Verona.
The protest follows the decision by the International Paralympic Committee to allow athletes holding Russian and Belarusian passports to compete.
Germany and France joined the list of protesting nations on March 4. They join Ukraine, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland. Polish television has also announced that it will not broadcast the ceremony.
In response to the situation, organizers have decided that no athletes will carry their national flags during the parade. Instead, the flags will be carried by volunteers.
Officially, the decision has been justified by logistical reasons, as many athletes are based at competition venues located far from Verona. However, it is also widely seen as an attempt to avoid potential tensions among delegations.
France’s Minister for Sport, Marina Ferrari, has announced that she will not attend either the opening ceremony in Verona or the closing ceremony in Cortina d’Ampezzo, although she will travel to Italy from March 7 to support French athletes during the Games.