Paralympics with a Russian Trace. Not only Ukraine is Protesting, but also the Czech Delegation
After the Winter Olympics concluded in Italy, the attention of many fans turned to the continuation of this event – the Paralympics. Undoubtedly, this event will also feature a number of great sporting performances. However, so far it is being discussed more in connection with a controversial decision that allowed the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under their national flags. The Czech delegation also opposed this move.
The International Paralympic Committee caused a wave of criticism and protests due to the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine by allowing the participation of six Russian and four Belarusian athletes under national colors at the Winter Paralympic Games, which will take place from March 6 to 15 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. This immediately triggered a landslide of protests.
The Russians secured spots in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding, competitions organized by the International Ski Federation. Although FIS banned them from participating in their competitions, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld their appeal in December.
The situation is even more controversial than it was at the recent Olympics, where Ukrainian skeletonist Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified after a dispute over a helmet with photographs of athletes killed during the Russian invasion.
The International Olympic Committee justified the decision by stating that the use of the helmet would violate an Olympic Charter rule prohibiting political statements.
Ukraine and Czech Republic are opposed
The first to speak out against the participation of Russian and Belarusian Paralympians was, of course, Ukraine. Representatives of the attacked country called it disgraceful and completely contrary to the principles of the games. They also refused to participate in the opening ceremony and urged the organizers not to display the Ukrainian flag at the event. They were not alone in this stance.
Poland was the first to join the Ukrainians.
"In the face of continuing Russian aggression against Ukraine, the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in sports competitions under their flags and with their anthems is absolutely unacceptable,"
stated the local Ministry of Sport on the network X.
The Czech Paralympic Committee soon commented on it as well.
“Sport is not just about performances, but also about values, which the Russian aggression in Ukraine completely denies. Therefore, we will join the Ukrainian team in boycotting the opening ceremony. This means that our representatives will not be at the opening of the games in Verona, we will not have a flag bearer in Cortina, and we will not record athlete messages that were supposed to be shown at the ceremony.”
wrote our committee in its statement.
Other countries that have publicly declared their non-participation include the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and newly also Finland and the Netherlands. Some politicians will not be present either. Besides the Ukrainian ones, this also applies to politicians from the European Union, such as the Commissioner for Intergenerational Equality, Justice, Youth, Culture, and Sport, Glenn Micallef.
The International Paralympic Committee defends itself in this context by claiming that it is a democratic organization and that the lifting of the suspension of Russia and Belarus was voted on by its IPC member countries. It refers to the fact that almost 180 out of 211 members participated in its general assembly and voted on this matter.
Chances for Medals
This year's Paralympic Games are definitely not a marginal event. Czech Television plans to broadcast 150 to 170 hours of coverage from the event, including the opening ceremony.
"While we are contractually obliged to broadcast the opening ceremony, we are preparing steps and measures to prevent any promotion of Russia or Belarus,"
said Michal Dusík, editor-in-chief of the sports department of Czech Television, to Sport.cz.
Our athletes now have a chance to end a 16-year wait for another valuable medal. This pertains especially to cross-country skier and biathlete Simona Bubeníčková. Hockey players also hope to place on the podium for the first time. Paralympians will receive the same reward for a medal as Olympians, which means 2.4 million CZK for gold, 1.8 million for silver, and 1.2 million CZK for bronze.
The most recent Czech Paralympic medal was won thanks to a bronze in the super giant slalom at the Vancouver 2010 by alpine skier Anna Pešková, who was known as Kulíšková before getting married. In total, Czech and Czechoslovak athletes have brought back 25 valuable medals, including eight golds, from 13 winter Paralympics.
Sources: author's article, ČTK, Czech Paralympic Committee, Sport.cz, network X
