Milano-Cortina Paralympics come to a close with another boycott by Ukraine at Games marked by Russia's return

A closing ceremony boycotted by Ukraine signaled the end of the Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Sunday, hours after the U.S. Para ice hockey team won the final gold medal of the Games that were marked by the return of the Russian flag and national anthem to the global sports stage.

China continued its dominance as a Paralympic powerhouse and topped the medals table with 15 golds, two more than the United States, which matched its total from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

The Milano-Cortina Games marked the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics.

Paralympic flames extinguished at Milano Cortina 2026

The Russian anthem, which hadn't played at the Paralympics in more than a decade, rang out eight times at Milano Cortina after the victories of Russian athletes who were competing under their own flag again at the Paralympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Ukraine led the boycott of both the opening and closing ceremonies to protest the presence of the Russians. It accused the International Paralympic Committee of discrimination against its athletes throughout the Games. The IPC said Ukraine seemed to try to politicize the event.

The Milano-Cortina Paralympics began less than a week after the United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran. Para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi, the only Iranian set to compete, had to withdraw because he could not travel safely to Italy. Para skier Sheina Vaspi was the only athlete from Israel who competed.

The Paralympic Games were back in Italy 20 years after being held in Turin. It was the 14th edition of the Winter Paralympics since the inaugural edition in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, in 1976.

The Russian flag made its official return at the