Suspilne Sport not to broadcast opening ceremony of 2026 Paralympic Games

Suspilne Sport will not broadcast the opening ceremony of the 2026 Paralympic Games, while the competitions themselves will be broadcast on Suspilne Sport platforms and Suspilne local television channels.

As reported on the official Suspilne website on Friday, the public broadcaster made this decision following the Ukrainian national team’s announcement of a boycott of the opening ceremony due to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under their own symbols.

"We consider it unacceptable to invite representatives of Russia and its satellite to the Paralympic Games, as they are waging a full-scale war in Europe, destroying Ukrainian cities, and killing Ukrainians, including hundreds of athletes," the Suspilne statement noted.

"The International Olympic Committee disqualified skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who planned to compete in the first heat of the 2026 Olympic Games wearing a ‘helmet of memory.’ The International Paralympic Committee invited Russian and Belarusian athletes to perform at the 2026 Games under their own flags. This is a systemic policy of legitimizing the presence of Russia and Belarus on the world stage. This is unacceptable for Ukrainian society," Suspilne emphasized in the statement.

At the same time, the 2026 Paralympic Games competitions will be broadcast on Suspilne Sport platforms and local Suspilne TV channels. A detailed broadcast schedule will be released in the near future.