The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has stated that countries not hosting the events, such as Cortina d'Ampezzo, Val di Fiemme, and Milan, will not participate in the opening ceremony. This is due to the decision to 'prioritize athletic performance'. Spencer Spence, an IPC communications official, explained: 'Canada, Germany, and France will not be boycotting the ceremony. So let me be perfectly clear about the National Paralympic Committees that will not be attending for political reasons.' He listed them: 'We have the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.' Spence confirmed that the IPC 'respects this decision' to boycott. Britain joined the countries boycotting the ceremony after their governments announced they would boycott the opening and closing ceremonies in protest against the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag. A government spokesperson said: 'We strongly oppose the IPC's decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games.' They added: 'We have made it clear that we believe the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the brutal and widespread invasion of Ukraine continues. Therefore, no ministers or government officials will attend the opening or closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. We have been informed that they will not be attending for performance-related reasons.' As many events, including alpine skiing, are already underway, many athletes have chosen to stay near their bases. Spence also noted that many countries informed the IPC last year that they would be unable to attend the opening ceremony in the historic city of Verona. He added: 'In November, several countries informed us that they would be unable to attend the opening ceremony as they prefer to focus on athletic performance, and the IPC respects that.' He concluded: 'Ultimately, athletes train for this moment for years, and if their priority is performance, we support that.' The IPC clarified that many countries have sent 12-second video clips of their athletes to be shown during the opening ceremony. Organizers announced on Thursday that eight countries will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo in protest against the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag for the first time since 2014. Last month, the IPC announced it would allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete in the Games under their national flags, not as neutral athletes. Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing following the invasion of Ukraine, but two years later, their athletes were permitted to compete at the Summer Paralympics in Paris as neutrals. Following the IPC's statement, several countries, including Ukraine, announced they would boycott the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday in Verona. Craig Spence, IPC Head of Communications, said at a press conference in Cortina on Thursday: 'You may have noticed over the last ten days news stories about some National Paralympic Committees deciding not to participate for political reasons, and there have been varying reports on the numbers.' He added: 'I've seen numbers ranging from 7 to 15.'
