Russia and Belarus will miss 2026 Paralympics

Despite having their membership rights restored, Russian and Belarusian Paralympians will not be allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, despite the reinstatement of their national committees, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced, reports Suspilne Sport.

In September 2025, the IPC General Assembly lifted the partial suspension of the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees, allowing them to participate in competitions if they qualify.

However, the final decision on athlete eligibility rests with the international federations for each sport.

The biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, para ice hockey, and curling federations have confirmed that athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in their disciplines. Participation in Paralympic ice hockey event is also unavailable to these countries due to the lack of qualifying tournaments.

IPC President Andrew Parsons emphasized that the committee respects both the General Assembly’s decision and the positions of the international federations.

The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place from March 6 to 15 in Milan and Cortina, with 79 medal events across six sports.