PARIS, March 5. /TASS/. France decided against sending its official state representatives to the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy because of athletes from Russia and Belarus taking part in it under their national flags, AFP news agency cited French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari as saying on Thursday.

"This is how we voice our disagreement with the assumed stance [of the International Paralympic Committee] that had been approved," the AFP news agency quoted Ferrari as saying.

Ferrari, who assumed the post of the French Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life in October 2025, added that no French officials would be in attendance at the Official Closing Ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games.

President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee Marie-Amelie Le Fur stated earlier that she had no intentions of following a decision made by some countries to boycott the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy.

Last month, delegations from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland announced their decision to boycott the official Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics because of Russia’s participation in the event.

President of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) Pavel Rozhkov told TASS in February that six Russian Para athletes had received bipartite invitations to the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

The invitations were extended to three-time Paralympic Champion in alpine skiing Aleksey Bugayev, two-time World Champion in alpine skiing Varvara Voronchikhina, multiple World Champion in para cross-country skiing Ivan Golubkov, World Championship medalist in para cross-country skiing Anastasia Bagiyan and her guide Sergey Sinyakin, and para snowboarders Dmitry Fadeyev and Philipp Shebbo Monzer.

Russian Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev announced last Wednesday that the country’s national delegation at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy would consist of 23 members.

The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games will be held in Italy on March 6-15. The Russian Paralympians were allowed to compete at the upcoming Winter Paralympics under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem. RPC President Rozhkov also announced last week that Russian Paralympians would take part in the Parade of Athletes at the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Italy next month under the national flag.

2026 Winter Paralympic Games

On January 20, the IPC revised its decision regarding the admission of the Russian national team to the 2026 Paralympics, allowing cross-country skiers, snowboarders, and alpine skiers to apply for invitations. In September 2025, the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee fully reinstated the Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus.

However, on October 23, 2025, the IPC press office announced that Russians would not be competing at the 2026 Paralympic Games due to the stance taken by certain sports federations. In particular, the Council of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) decided not to allow Russians to participate in international competitions, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The RPC later successfully challenged that decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).