The forced change of the ceremonial uniform for the 2026 Paralympics was revealed by the president of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC), Valerii Sushkevych, in an interview with Ukrinform. The first version of the uniform, which the International Paralympic Committee called ‘political’ and banned, featured a map of Ukraine including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
According to Sushkevych, with this design, the team wanted to show that Ukraine ‘exists in the world and Europe, without Russian occupation’.
‘The International Paralympic Committee said: ‘No, no, no — this will not do’. They claimed the uniform was political and said we would not be allowed to appear in it. The design was beautiful and highly symbolic. It clearly emphasized that Ukraine exists — in the world and in Europe — with all its territories, without Russian occupation’.
The uniform was designed by Viktor Anisimov, who also worked on the team’s ceremonial outfit for the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games. In that version, the classic yellow and blue colors were complemented by green—a tribute to Ukrainian military personnel.
According to Sushkevych, this year’s uniform was more radical — the step was taken due to an ‘escalation of loyalty toward Russia’, which intensified ‘with renewed force’ following the Paris Paralympics.
‘That means there are already Paralympic officials sitting there, making sure Ukraine is not allowed to present itself as a country without occupation and to compete in such a uniform against the aggressor state’, he added.
The new uniform was ‘barely finished in time’ — it was urgently transported by bus to Italy, where the team was already based.
The IPC’s position
According to the IPC’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer, Craig Spence, a map of the country falls under the category of national anthem lyrics, motivational words, or public/political messages and slogans related to national identity, which are not allowed on team uniforms.
About the Ukrainian team at the 2026 Paralympics
Ukraine will be represented by 25 Paralympians and 10 guides in four sports at the Paralympic Games in Italy: para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para alpine skiing and para snowboarding.
At the same time, Ukraine’s Paralympic team will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games due to the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the competition without qualification — the International Paralympic Committee has allowed six Paralympians from Russia and four from Belarus to compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics.
In solidarity with Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands will also boycott the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games.
The 2026 Paralympic Games will take place from March 6 to 15. The official broadcaster of the Paralympics in Ukraine, Suspilne Sport, will not show the opening ceremony but will cover all competitions featuring the Ukrainian team.
