• Poland and Ukraine announce boycotts of the Winter Paralympics opening ceremony.
• Both countries protest against Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under national flags.
• The IPC's decisions have sparked intense criticism and political controversy.

Poland has decided to boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics scheduled for March 6 in Italy, in response to the decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) that allows athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate under their national flags. The Polish Sports Ministry stated, "the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in sports competitions using their flags and anthems is absolutely unacceptable," emphasizing the normalization of Russian aggression against Ukraine as a key concern, according to aa.

Ukraine's National Paralympic Committee has also declared a boycott of the same opening ceremony, further aligning with Poland's stance. The committee expressed outrage at allowing six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete, highlighting the IPC's decision as a betrayal of the values associated with the Paralympic movement. Ukraine's Sports Minister characterized the IPC's actions as "outrageous," indicating a decline in adherence to values of humanity and democracy, according to lemonde and aljazeera.

The IPC's decision has sparked significant political fallout, with both the Polish and Ukrainian governments criticizing the inclusion of Russian athletes in light of ongoing military aggression. The Ukrainian committee underscored that allowing national symbols week normalizes this aggression, asserting their right to boycott the event while continuing to compete in the Games themselves. The decision is viewed as a response to the perceived hypocrisy of mixing sports with the political tensions resulting from the war, as articulated by Ukrainian leaders, according to lemonde and aljazeera.

Both Poland and Ukraine have long been advocates for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions following the invasion of Ukraine. The anticipated participation of these athletes under their flags is viewed as contrary to the values that the Paralympic Games stand for and as a continuation of the normalization of the current geopolitical tensions, resonating deeply within these nations' sports communities, according to aa, lemonde, and aljazeera.