German athletes will skip the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games, which will be held in Verona on March 6.
The reason for this is the right of Russians and Belarusians to participate in the competition. They had previously received an invitation from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and will be able to compete under their country's flags.
The German Paralympic Committee criticized the IPC, noting that the decisions of the General Assembly and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Russia and Belarus do not include "any obligation" to invite both countries to the Games.
Delegations from Ukraine, Finland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, and the Netherlands have also previously announced that they will skip the opening ceremony.
The Paralympic Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from March 6-15.