Family of Ukrainian champion forced to remove national symbols at Paralympics – Sushkevych

Valerii Sushkevych, president of Ukraine's National Paralympic Committee, said this on Ukrainian television.

"The family of a Ukrainian champion came from Ternopil, bought tickets and entered the stadium with a Ukrainian flag, wearing Ukrainian clothing. They were stopped, their flag was taken away, and the champion's mother had a scarf with a Ukrainian ornament confiscated. Only after they were stripped of these items, excuse me, were they allowed to enter the stadium," Sushkevych said.

He did not disclose the name of the family involved in the incident and said the Ukrainian side is preparing an official statement.

"There will be a statement from us on this today. The entire family came from Ternopil at their own expense – the children, the father, the mother. That same night there was a bombing by Russia. This is an absolutely cynical display toward the Ukrainian team. We continue our struggle, and pressure on us continues," Sushkevych said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ukrainian flag was carried during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympics despite a boycott of the ceremony by some participants over the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

After the third day of competition at the 2026 Paralympic Games, Ukraine holds second place in the medal standings.