Idman.biz
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) press service has announced that the Iranian Paralympic team has withdrawn from the Winter Games to be held in Italy in 2026.
Idman.Biz reports that this was announced today, March 6, on the opening day of the sports forum.
An Iranian athlete, skier Abolfazl Khatibi Mianaei, was scheduled to participate in the tournament.
"It is an extremely disappointing situation for the world of sport, and particularly for Abolfazl, that he will not be able to safely reach his third Winter Paralympic Games. Since the conflict began on Saturday, the IPC and the Milan Cortina 2026 Organising Committee have been working actively behind the scenes together with the Iranian NPC and national ski federation to find alternative ways that would enable the Iranian delegation to travel safely to the Games. However, taking into consideration the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the risk to human life remains too high.
"Due to communication being cut off in a significant part of Iran, it was difficult to contact the Iranian National Olympic Committee and the National Ski Federation. We were informed by the organisation's press service that safe travel was not possible and therefore the delegation would not be able to attend the Games. To miss the Winter Paralympic Games due to reasons beyond the athlete’s control after years of training and dedication is truly devastating. We send Abolfazl our sincere condolences during this difficult time," Parsons, the head of the organisation, commented on the situation, according to the organisation's press service.
