The Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics kicked off with an opening ceremony held in Verona, Italy, which saw participation from various countries; however, Ukraine and several others chose to boycott the event due to ongoing political tensions surrounding Russia. The opening featured the entry of flags from all participating delegates while some athletes, having opted out for preparatory reasons, still shared their presence through video displays from their respective locations.

Among the participants boycotting the ceremony were Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, who voiced their opposition to Russia’s involvement under its current political situation. The atmosphere was marked by a lack of athletes from these nations during their designated entrance, following volunteers carrying placards yet showing solidarity through visual displays instead. IPC President Andrew Parsons addressed the fraught backdrop of aggression affecting the games, stressing the need to harness differences as strength.