Finland will not appear at the opening of the Paralympics.
Maria Zaharova briefly commented on the boycott. PDO
Spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova has responded to the wave of boycotts of the Paralympics.
Estonia, Poland, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Ukraine and Finland boycotted the opening of the Paralympics, because the national teams of Russia and Belarus will be seen at the Paralympics this year with their national emblems.
Zaharova jokingly and ironically answered the matter.
– The air is cleaner, he said to a Russian newspaper for Sport-Express.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided on the matter last fall, and there was a big uproar.
Ukraine asked other countries to boycott the opening to show their support. The Finnish Paralympic Committee participated in the talks.
In February, the IPC distributed so-called wild card places to Milano-Cortina.
– When the decisions on wild cards were made in the third week of February, it was heard that the IPC had granted Russian athletes a total of six wild card competition spots for alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics and four wild cards for Belarusian athletes for cross-country skiing, the Finnish Paralympic Committee’s press release says.
– Ukraine has reacted strongly to the IPC’s decision to issue wild cards, as expected. Among other things, the Minister of Sports of Ukraine, Matvii Bidnyi, has stated that the decision is “both disappointing and shocking”, the release continued.
The Paralympics will be held from the 6th to the 15th. March. Finland has four athletes and one guide skier at the Games.
