Overview
- Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi said government representatives will skip the opening ceremony and all official events in Milan-Cortina in protest.
- EU Commissioner for Youth and Sport Glenn Micallef called the IPC move unacceptable and confirmed he will not attend the opening ceremony.
- Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani criticized the ruling and urged the IPC to reverse the restoration of national symbols.
- The IPC allocated six places to Russia (two para-alpine, two cross-country, two snowboard) and four to Belarus (all cross-country), reinstating national flags and authorizing Russia’s anthem for gold medalists for the first time since Sochi 2014.
- The pathway to reinstatement followed an IPC vote in September and a CAS decision overturning an FIS ban, and Russia has named invitees including para-alpine skiers Aleksey Bugaev and Varvara Voronchikhina.