Ukraine's ceremonial outfit has been banned from the Paralympics in Italy, according to reports. The International Paralympic Committee reportedly considers the outfit political because it features a map of Ukraine including territories currently occupied by Russia. Ukraine has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony in Verona as a protest against Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete under their national flags for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.
Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes are set to compete under their national flags at the Paralympics, which run from March 5 to March 15. During the recent Olympics in Italy, Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevytj was reportedly disqualified for wearing a helmet with images of Ukrainian war victims, which the International Olympic Committee deemed political. The chair of Parasport Sweden has expressed criticism of the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.