Updated 2:48 PM | Published 2:33 PM
Sweden will not boycott the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Verona. Although, Swedish athletes will still be absent from the event.
Russian and Belarusian athletes are permitted to compete under their national flags at the Paralympics. This decision has prompted the Ukrainian team to boycott the opening ceremony on March 6, and they have urged other nations to follow suit.
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland have joined the boycott, according to reports from SVT.
“We will not be participating in a boycott – we’ve known for two years that we wouldn’t be at the opening ceremony,” said team leader Niclas Grön. “With the event in Verona and the journey from Cortina to the finish line taking around twelve hours, athletes who have trained for four years won’t miss it.”
Grön made it clear, however, that he does not support the participation of athletes under the Russian flag.
“I absolutely do not support that.”
At the Olympics, Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as neutral athletes.
