"We decided to refuse": Russia announces boycott at the 2024 Paralympics

Russian athletes refused to participate in the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris as spectators. Representatives of the aggressor country were banned from marching with the rest of the athletes in the parade, but were invited to the arena itself, but they decided not to attend.

Pavel Rozhkov, president of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), said this in an interview with VseProSport. According to him, the athletes themselves allegedly see no point in attending the ceremony on August 28, as many of them will start the very next day.

"We were invited to the ceremony as spectators. But we decided to refuse, because it doesn't make sense. The procedure is long and difficult, and some athletes have competitions the very next day. Even when everything was fine, not all athletes participated in the opening ceremony for these reasons," Rozhkov said.

It should be noted that 90 Russians will take part in the 2024 Paralympic Games. They will compete under a neutral flag, they are forbidden to mention the name of their country, and the results of the Russian representatives will not be included in the medal standings.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Russian national track and field athlete Anna Kulinich-Sorokina complained about the ban on the Russian colors and the country's name at the 2024 Paralympic Games. The competition will take place from August 28 to September 8 in Paris.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!