Belarus joins Winter Paralympics opening ceremony under own flag

MINSK, 6 March (BelTA) – The opening ceremony of the XIV Winter Paralympic Games took place at the Verona Arena, BelTA has learned. More than 600 athletes from 55 countries will take part in the competitions from 7 to 15 March. Representatives of 28 states, including Belarus, attended the opening ceremony. Lidziya Loban, a medalist of the 2018 Paralympic Games in para-biathlon, bore the national flag during the ceremony. Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine refused to attend the opening ceremony for political reasons; delegations from another 20 countries also did not appear at the arena.Belarusian team in Italy will be represented by four skiers: Lidziya Loban, Valiantsina Biryla, Darya Fedzkovich, and Raman Svirydzenka. The races will take place on 10, 11, 14, and 15 March. Belarusians will compete at the Paralympics with national symbols for the first time since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Belarusian Para athletes were not allowed to participate in Beijing 2022, and in Paris 2024 they competed under a neutral flag.