Six Russian athletes have received invitations to the 2026 Paralympics.
Six Russian athletes have received bilateral invitations to participate in the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. This was announced to TASS on February 17 by Pavel Rozhkov, head of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC).
Three-time Paralympic champion Alexey Bugaev and two-time world champion Varvara Voronchikhina will compete in alpine skiing. Multiple world champion Ivan Golubkov and World Championship medalist Anastasia Baghiyan will take part in the ski races. Dmitry Fadeev and Philippe Shebbo Monzer will start in the parasnowboard.
Rozhkov explained that the main quota allocation was completed back in May 2025. Currently, a small number of additional quotas have been allocated for vacant seats. The RPC has repeatedly requested additional places for Russians who were unable to fully participate in the qualification due to discriminatory suspension, but these requests have not been met.
"As for other sports, we have not yet been allowed to participate in international competitions in biathlon and could not count on bilateral invitations. There are no such invitations in sledge hockey and wheelchair curling, we were not allowed to qualify," said the head of the PKR.
On October 23, the press service of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that Russian athletes would not participate in the 2026 Paralympic Games. It is noted that the participation of athletes from the Russian Federation is impossible due to the lack of opportunity to qualify for the competition.
Rozhkov said on the same day that the RPC would fight for the participation of athletes from the Russian Federation in the 2026 Paralympics, despite the lack of opportunities for athletes to qualify for the competition. He stressed that the hope for the participation of Russians in the Games "is minimal, but still remains."
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