Russian and Belarusian Paralympians Barred from the 2026 Games

Russian and Belarusian para-athletes will not take part in the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, despite the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifting its sanctions against them.

Although the Games are held under the IPC’s auspices, the competitions in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo cover six sports governed by four different international federations. Three of those federations decided to maintain the ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus. The only exception was para ice hockey, but the decision to admit those teams came too late for them to qualify.

Both countries were suspended from Paralympic competition after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus sided with Moscow. A year later, the IPC allowed athletes from both nations to compete under neutral status. Last month, committee members voted to lift the restrictions entirely, permitting Russian and Belarusian para-athletes to compete under their national flags.

Nevertheless, four international federations informed the IPC that “in practice, athletes from the two countries are unlikely to qualify for the March Games.” The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the International Biathlon Union (IBU), and the World Curling Federation have maintained their bans, while the roster for the para ice hockey qualifying tournament has already been finalized.

“Just as we fully respect the decision of the IPC General Assembly to lift the partial suspensions of the Belarusian and Russian national Paralympic committees, we equally respect the decisions of each international federation regarding their respective sports,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. He noted that the positions taken by the FIS, IBU, and World Curling Federation mean that Belarusian and Russian athletes will not be able to compete in their events and, therefore, will be unable to qualify for the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games.

Parsons added that although Russia and Belarus are now formally eligible to compete in para ice hockey, “at this stage of the qualification cycle, the six teams participating in the November qualifiers have already been determined.” He expressed hope that attention will now shift to the athletes and national committees that will take part in the Games, and to the “significant transformative legacy” the Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina will leave behind.