Russian flag and anthem set to return at next month''s Paralympics after decade-long absence

Russian flag and anthem to return at the Milan Paralympics, marking a decade since their last appearance.

Russian athletes will compete under their own flag at the Paralympics for the first time in more than a decade, and the country's national anthem will be played for any gold medalists.

Tuesday's (February 17, 2026) announcement stands as another indicator that Russia and its national identity will be fully restored in Olympic circles well ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

In a statement, the International Paralympic committee said Russia's National Paralympic Committee had been awarded six slots for the upcoming Milan Cortina Paralympic Games.

It will mark the first time a Russian flag has been flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. The country's athletes were initially banned because of a state-sponsored doping program, and the sanctions against Russia have continued since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Should a Paralympic athlete win gold, it will be the first time the Russian anthem has been played on the stage of a major global sporting event since the invasion.

Russia's close ally, Belarus, has also been banned since 2022 but will have four slots at Milan Cortina.