Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT said Monday it will not air the opening ceremony of the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
LRT said it made the decision in solidarity with public broadcasters in Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
“We cannot support the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags, and we are joining the initiative of Baltic broadcasters not to broadcast the opening ceremony,” LRT Deputy Director Gytis Oganauskas said in a statement.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Paralympics. They were later permitted to compete as neutral athletes at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics.
The IPC decided in late February to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to take part in the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics under their national flags rather than as neutral competitors.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics open this Friday, March 6.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
