The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has banned the Ukrainian team from wearing their planned uniforms at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, which begin March 6th, according to a statement from Valeriy Suskevych, head of Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee.
The uniforms featured a map of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and territories currently under Russian occupation following the February 2022 invasion. Suskevych told Ukrainian media the IPC deemed the uniform a “political statement.” The team has been forced to urgently commission and transport new uniforms to Italy, where they are already stationed.
“We prepared the sportswear – no, not sportswear, but ceremonial uniforms – for our team. The International Paralympic Committee said: ‘No, no, no – this is not good!’ They said the uniform was political in nature. And they said that no one would allow us to compete in such uniforms,” Suskevych stated, as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
The uniform design was created by Viktor Anyisimov, who also designed the team’s uniforms for the 2024 Summer Paralympics. The ban comes as Ukraine also protests the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Games, marking the first time Russian athletes have competed under their own flag since the 2014 Sochi Games.
This is not the first instance of the IPC and International Olympic Committee (IOC) restricting Ukrainian expressions of national identity during international competitions. Earlier, the IOC prohibited skeleton racer Vladyslav Herashkevych from competing with a helmet displaying the faces of Ukrainian athletes killed in the war. Herashkevych, speaking to 444.hu, expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m just a guy from Kyiv who wanted to pay tribute to my murdered comrades, but they didn’t let me.” He was subsequently honored by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and addressed the Ukrainian parliament, where he reportedly called for the revocation of the title of “Hero of Ukraine” from Serhiy Bubka, a renowned pole vaulter and IOC member, alleging Bubka had not adequately advocated for Ukrainian interests.
Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, commented on the IPC’s decision, noting that the Russian team includes individuals who allegedly participated in the invasion of Ukraine, according to reporting from Origo.hu.