Poland's TVP to interrupt Paralympics opening ceremony broadcast during Russian, Belarusian team parade

Polish public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) will not show Russian and Belarusian athletes during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics, interrupting the broadcast as part of a boycott in protest against the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow them to compete under their national flags.

According to Sport.tvp.pl, when Russian and Belarusian athletes enter the stadium during the ceremony, the broadcast will be cut and replaced with a screen reading: "Solidarity with Ukraine. TVP Sport against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in competitions," Ukrinform reports.

If a representative of Poland wins a silver or bronze medal while the gold medalist is from Russia or Belarus, the award ceremony will still be shown. However, the broadcast will end before the national anthems are played and the flags are raised.

The decision has also been supported by the Polish Paralympic Committee.

"We received with surprise the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russians and Belarusians to represent their countries at the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. We view this choice as a troubling sign of the erosion of responsibility of Russia and Belarus for the crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine, and this is something we cannot and will never accept," the statement said. "We aim to broadcast sporting competitions of people with disabilities, and Paralympic sport is an important element of our social mission. However, sport cannot justify violence, killings and human rights violations."

Earlier, a delegation from the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of Poland decided not to take part in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Milan in protest against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes using national symbols.

As reported earlier, 11 countries and the European Union have already decided to boycott the opening ceremony where Russian and Belarusian flags will be present.

The 2026 Winter Paralympics will take place on March 6-15.

Photo: facebook.com/OlimpiadiMilanoCortina2026