Germany has joined the boycott of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo over the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes under their national flags.
On March 3, 2026, the German National Paralympic Committee officially announced that the German team would not participate in the Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremony in Verona on March 6. This decision was made in solidarity with Ukraine and in protest against the position of the International Paralympic Committee, which in September 2025 fully restored the rights of Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete with flags, anthems, and full symbols.
German State Minister for Sport and Volunteering Christiane Schönderlein also announced that she would not participate in the Opening Ceremony.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha welcomed Berlin’s move, calling it a “principled and value-based decision.” He noted that 11 countries (including Ukraine, Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Canada, and others), along with representatives of the European Commission, have already joined the boycott.
The German Association of Disabled Sports emphasized: “The IPC decision represents a particular challenge for the Paralympic movement. We cannot ignore the war and its consequences for Ukrainian athletes and society.”
However, Germany is not boycotting the Games entirely—German Paralympians will continue competing from March 7, but will miss the parade and the official opening ceremony.