MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has received athletes from the Russian Paralympic Games team and congratulated them with 'an incredible results.'
"I am sincerely pleased to congratulate you, our Russian national team, on a truly incredible performance showed at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games," Putin said.
"I extend my congratulations to everyone on their outstanding successes at the most recent Paralympic Games," Putin said
"I thank you for your perseverance, hard work, and implied skills. Let me wish you new victories," he added.
"You didn’t just perform at the top of your game! Your participation in the Games, I think many will agree with me, became one of the most colorful pages in the history of global Paralympic sport," the Russian president noted addressing the national Paralympic athletes.
"The teams from other countries that took first and second place were more than 10 times larger than the Russian team. You have clearly demonstrated to Russia and the whole world who truly lives up to the high mission of a Paralympic athlete. The mission and slogan is known to everyone: to inspire and amaze the world. That's exactly what you did," Putin stressed.
The 2026 Winter Paralympic Games were hosted by Italy on March 6-15. The Russian Paralympic team was allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics under the national flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem for the first time in 12 years amid sanctions.
While only six Russian Para athletes received so-called bipartite invitations to participate in the 2026 Winter Paralympics, they won the third-most golds of any country at the Games.
China won the most gold medals as well as leading the overall medal standings (15 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals), while the US was second in both categories (13-5-6).
The six Russians who took part in the 2026 Winter Paralympics were: three-time Paralympic Champion in alpine skiing Alexey Bugaev, 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.
Russia’s Voronchikhina won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the 2026 Paralympics. Bugayev took one gold and two bronze medals in alpine skiing, while cross country skiers Bagiyan and Golubkov won three and two golds in women's and men’s competitions respectively.