The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine announced systematic pressure on athletes and coaches from representatives of the International Paralympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Games. The committee claims that the latest incidents are not isolated cases, but a consistent biased attitude towards the Ukrainian national team.
The statement notes that the Ukrainian side did not react sharply to such manifestations for a long time, hoping that they were not intentional. However, recent events, according to the committee, have shown that this pressure has become systemic and has acquired a “critical and shameful nature towards both the team and its members.”
The committee emphasized that the Ukrainian Paralympic team has been continuously participating in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games for 30 years, but has never encountered such an attitude before.
“The Ukrainian Paralympic team has been participating in all the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games for 30 years in a row. […] But our team and the leaders of the team headquarters have never experienced such openly negative manifestations and even obstacles towards Ukrainians as representatives of the National Paralympic Committee, which is one of the leaders in the development of the Paralympic movement and in terms of results in Paralympic sports,” the statement says.
Among the examples, the NPC cited the situation with the national flag of Ukraine, which was initially allowed to be placed on the house where the team lives, but later a representative of the Organizing Committee demanded that it be removed. Later, the flag was allowed to be returned, but only to a place where it is less visible. The committee also stated that the organizers had complaints about the daily short meetings of the Ukrainian team in a common hall, where athletes, together with other teams, summarize the day and discuss plans for the next one.
The statement also mentioned the case of Paralympic champion Oleksandra Kononova. According to the committee, during the awards ceremony, an IPC representative “toughly tried to take away” the athlete’s small earrings with the flag of Ukraine and the inscription Stop War.
The Ukrainian side was most outraged by the incident with the family of Paralympic champion Taras Rad, who had come from the Ternopil region to support him at the competition. The NPK noted that it was on that day that Russia launched a missile and drone strike on Ukraine.
Despite the purchased tickets to the spectator stand, the athlete’s relatives were not allowed to enter with Ukrainian flags and women’s scarves with national ornaments. According to the committee representatives, these items were taken from them, explaining this “in accordance with the IPC rules”.
The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine stated that they were shocked by what happened and demanded that the IPC leadership return to compliance with its own Constitution and, in accordance with its provisions, adjust the work of the executive bodies during the XIV Winter Paralympic Games.
“The National Paralympic Team of Ukraine is shocked by the unprecedentedly shameful actions of the IPC and its representatives of the Organizing Committee of the Paralympics-2026! […] The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine demands that the IPC leadership begin the process of returning to the provisions of the IPC Constitution, and in accordance with them, coordinate the activities of the IPC executive bodies during the implementation of their functions at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games,” the committee added.
