"Ukrainian competitors will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony on March 6 in Verona, their committee has said, due to the authorisation of some Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part undertheir national flags. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC)'s allocation of 10 combined slots to Russian and Belarusian athletes has created a political storm over the upcoming Games, given bitterness over the four-year-old invasion of Ukraine."
"That stance follows the disqualification from the Winter Games of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet commemorating athletes killed in the war. Ukraine's Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi has said Ukrainian officials will boycott the March 6-15 Paralympics, though the nation's athletes will still take part. An IPC spokesperson told the Reuters news agency it was in contact with Ukraine's Paralympic Committee and the matter would be discussed internally."
The International Paralympic Committee allocated 10 combined slots to Russian and Belarusian athletes for the Milano Cortina Paralympics. Ukrainian competitors will boycott the opening ceremony in Verona on March 6 and the National Paralympic Committee demanded that its flag not be used. Russia received two spots in para alpine skiing, two in cross-country skiing and two in snowboarding; Belarus was awarded four cross-country places. Ukraine said neither country went through the qualification process and called the bipartite slots cynical. Ukraine's Sports Minister said officials will boycott the Games though athletes will compete. The decision has provoked outrage amid the ongoing war.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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