October 24, Pozirk. Belarusian and Russian athletes will not be able to participate in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy next March, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced yesterday, citing responses from international federations responsible for the qualifiers.
Federations overseeing competitions in skiing, biathlon and curling confirmed the suspension of Belarus and Russia. The ice hockey federation said that qualifiers were over. Moreover, Belarus does not currently have an ice hockey team competing at the international level.
In late September, the IPC members voted to lift restrictions on the National Paralympic Committees (NPC) of Belarus and Russia. However, athletes’ participation in the Paralympics is conditional on their qualification for the Games under the rules of the respective international federations.
The IPC fully respects the decisions of each international federation regarding the sports they govern, said Andrew Parsons, IPC president.
Belarus and Russia were suspended from the Paralympics in 2022 following the launch of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022, with the help of Belarusian authorities. Two years ago, athletes from both countries were allowed to compete as neutrals.
