International federations for each sport on the Paralympic Games programme had said they would maintain bans on athletes from those countries, but Russia and Belarus won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport back in December against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the organisers of the 2026 Paralympic Games for allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

It will mark the first time a Russian flag has been flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.