Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing under their own flag in the Paralympics, but not all TV viewers in Europe will be able to see them. The International Paralympic Committee conducted a specific detailed review of the athletes' doping tests before the Games. Russian athletes are competing under their own flag at the Winter Paralympics for the first time since 2014.
Russia's presence at the Milan Games occurs in the context of a controversial return to the Paralympic scene after several years of exclusion. Russia was banned from the Games in 2016 over a state-sponsored doping scheme and was banned from the Games in 2022 due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russia's subsequent actions led to the country being prevented from competing in many sports arenas.
Russian national teams and clubs were suspended from all competitions by FIFA and UEFA in February 2022. Russian athletes were given wildcard entries by the International Paralympic Committee. The decision to give Russian athletes wildcard entries upset Ukraine and other nations that boycotted the opening ceremony.
The exact criteria used by the International Paralympic Committee to grant wildcard entries to Russian athletes has not been disclosed. Russia has six athletes at the Games. On Saturday, Russia won two bronze medals.
We have not reasoned about anything other than showing the competitions as they are and at the same time news reporting what happens.
Russia won its first medals at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. Para alpine skiers Varvara Voronchikhina and Aleksei Bugaev claimed bronze medals in the women's and men's downhill standing competition. Le Singulier (Sète) alleges that a significant portion of the Russian delegation at the Winter Paralympics consists of former military personnel who served on the Ukrainian front.
The publication further alleges that Russian athletes were recruited from soldiers wounded in hostilities in Ukraine, that the targeted recruitment process for these athletes began shortly after the start of military operations in spring 2022, and that Russian officials from the Paralympic movement visited specialized hospitals to meet convalescing soldiers and present high-level sports opportunities. Le Singulier (Sète) also alleges that this recruitment has been generalized nationally, including in some Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. What specific evidence exists to confirm or refute these allegations remains unclear, and it is unknown how many of the six Russian athletes at the Games are former military personnel involved in the Ukraine conflict.
For these former combatants, integration into the sports world represents a form of retraining. Some athletes express ambition to represent their country in major international competitions but note difficulties due to restrictions limiting their participation. The exact nature of these restrictions has not been specified.
A minority of qualified athletes were not involved in the conflict.