The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their respective nations’ flags at the upcoming 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics.
At the ongoing Winter Olympics, all Russian and Belarusian athletes have been permitted to compete under the neutral AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes) banner.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the IOC recommended that sporting federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from taking part in events.
Belarus, which borders both Russia and Ukraine, has been supportive of the Kremlin and is seen as an ally of Vladimir Putin’s government.
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However, for the first time since the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi, six Russian athletes will compete under their nation's flag at the Milan-Cortina event, which commences on 6 March.
In September 2025, the IPC lifted the ban on athletes from the aforementioned nations competing at the Games. Both countries were suspended following the invasion in 2022, before a partial ban, which allowed athletes to compete as neutrals, came into effect in 2023.
Four separate governing bodies contested the Paralympics’ decision to lift the bans.
In December, however, Russia and Belarus won an appeal against the governing body of skiing and snowboarding (FIS), with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowing them to compete.
On Tuesday (17 February), as reported by BBC Sport, the IPC confirmed that 10 athletes - six Russians and four Belarusians - have been granted bipartite invitations to compete in three sports – Para-alpine skiing, Para-cross-country skiing and Para-snowboarding.
“The IPC can confirm that NPC Russia has been awarded a total of six slots: two in Para-alpine skiing (one male, one female), two in Para-cross-country skiing (one male, one female), and two in Para-snowboard (both male),” the body said in a statement.
“NPC Belarus has been awarded four slots in total, all in cross-country skiing (one male and three female).”
Russian athletes have not competed under their national flag for 12 years, initially due to the nation’s state-sponsored doping programme and, more recently, following the invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago.
A bipartite agreement – also known as a committee decision or settlement – is an agreement between two parties, in this case, the individual athletes and the IPC.
It should be noted that bipartite commission invites do not involve international federations and relate solely to individual athletes “who may not have had the opportunity to qualify through other methods due to extraordinary circumstances”, as well as an array of other factors.
Luke Davies