Russians will participate in the Paralympic Games at the expense of an athlete from Latvia – LPC 0 10

Following the decision of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Paralympic Committee on February 16, ten athletes from Russia and Belarus will participate in the Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Although in October FIS decided not to allow athletes from these countries to compete in qualifying events, they were able to earn ranking points after winning an appeal against FIS at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December.

On Monday, FIS and the International Paralympic Committee allowed ten athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in three sports — snowboarding, alpine skiing, and cross-country skiing.

Meanwhile, a month ago, the International Paralympic Committee called for applications for special invitations from athletes who, for any reason, did not qualify for the Games on their own. LPC also applied for Olinsh, as he lacked the required number of points for full qualification until January 16.

As a result of the decisions of the two international organizations, it became known that Olinsh was not granted the opportunity to compete in the Winter Paralympic Games. This means that Latvia will be represented by seven para-athletes at the Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, instead of the eight originally planned.

"We received the list of those granted spots only on February 16 — ten days before the arrival of the first athletes in the village in Cortina. I am outraged that Latvian para-skier Olinsh is not given the opportunity to start at the Winter Paralympic Games, even though the quota allocated to Latvia in para-alpine skiing was confirmed back in July last year," said LPC President Daiga Dadzite.

According to her, Russian and Belarusian athletes began to earn ranking points only in mid-December 2025, but there is no clarity on which competitions they participated in and where they earned these points.

"To be ranked first in the world ranking of your medical classification in two months is a mystery. For comparison: Olinsh participated in all available ranking competitions in Europe from September 2025 to February 13, 2026, but he was unable to secure a place at the Winter Paralympic Games," Dadzite said.

"I won’t hesitate to say that these athletes will participate in the Games at the expense of our athlete," Dadzite stated.

The Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will take place from March 6 to 15. Latvia will be represented in wheelchair curling competitions — in mixed pairs and team tournaments.