The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games have commenced in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo under a darkening sky. Traditionally, a celebration of athletic excellence and inclusivity, the games have been overshadowed by the U.S.–Israeli bombings of Iran in recent weeks and the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their respective flags in the games. The geopolitical strain undergirding the events is concerning to many.
Russia and Belarus had largely been excluded from international sport following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ steadfast support of the invasion. Russian athletes have not competed in the Paralympics since 2014. Since then, Olympic governing bodies have barred athletes from both countries or required them to compete as neutrals under an international symbol, as they were allowed to do following the 2023 sanctions. For years, Russian athletes have not represented Russia in Olympic settings due to reasons linked to the war and earlier doping violations.
This year, the IPC has allocated 10 slots to athletes competing from these countries: six for Russia and four for Belarus, allowing them to compete under their national flags. The move was immediately opposed by many, including Ukraine and the Games’ host country, Italy. The Ukrainian committee condemned the move as inappropriate and lacking solidarity with the EU’s attitude toward the Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Most recently, Ukraine has accused the Paralympic organizing committee of systemic bias toward Russia and Russian athletes, alleging that the committee has taken measures to subdue Ukrainian nationalism and anti-war sentiments during the games. The Ukrainian National Paralympic Committee made the inequity clear in a statement released Wednesday:
“The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine and the national Paralympic team of Ukraine, its athletes and coaches have been subjected to systematic pressure from representatives of the International Paralympic Committee and the Organising Committee of the Games,” the statement reads.
The restrictions on Russian and Belarusian participation began to unravel in September 2025, when the IPC member organization voted to restore full membership to the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic committees. The result is the first Paralympic competition in more than a decade in which Russian athletes can appear under their national flag and anthem. The controversial decision sparked immediate political pushback from multiple countries, including Germany, whose athletes and officials have consistently boycotted the games in support of Ukraine from the opening ceremony through the concluding medal ceremonies.
At the Opening Ceremony on March 6, the Russian athletes, represented by their flag, received little applause, as multiple countries boycotted the event.
The controversy has prompted nations and athletes alike to ask whether global competitions can remain separate from politics during times of conflict. The Paralympic movement itself has roots in postwar rehabilitation. The first competitions were organized in 1948 by neurologist Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England as a sporting event for World War II veterans with spinal injuries. What began as a therapeutic activity eventually grew into an international competition, culminating in the first official Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960.
Since then, the event has expanded into a once-per-four-years spectacle aligned with the Olympic Games, drawing athletes from dozens of nations to compete. The winter edition of the games now features disciplines such as para-alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, para-snowboarding, and wheelchair curling.
Despite the political disputes surrounding participation, competition across the Italian Alps has continued. Early medal events have produced gold for the U.S., with three U.S. skiers winning gold in the cross country 10-kilometer. Overall, U.S. medals totaled 14 as of publication.
Belarus has already secured podium finishes in cross-country skiing. Russia has won four gold medals, three in para-cross country skiing and one in para-alpine skiing, along with two bronze medals that put them just below Austria in the rankings. Meanwhile, traditional winter sport powers such as Norway, Germany, and Canada have quickly climbed the medal standings. The U.S. remains in second place, with China leading with 27 total medals.
For spectators and athletes alike, the games remain a symbol of perseverance and a love for competition amid geopolitical conflicts. Yet the debates surrounding Russia and Belarus’ participation mark the 2026 Paralympics as a polarized event that is not immune to bias and conflict.
With international conflicts intensifying and diplomatic tensions spilling into sporting institutions, the Milano Cortina Paralympics have become another arena where global politics and sports intersect and clash. Viewing the games as a bastion of togetherness is laudable, but for some, it must remain aspirational.
