REFILE: Heraskevych says Russia and Belarus' Paralympic quotas are 'absurd'

Record ID: 2342552

  • Title: REFILE: Heraskevych says Russia and Belarus' Paralympic quotas are 'absurd'
  • Date: 17th February 2026
  • Summary: KYIV, UKRAINE (FEBRUARY 17, 2026) (REUTERS) (MUTE) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DISQUALIFIED UKRAINIAN SKELETON RACER, VLADYSLAV HERASKEVYCH, ON THE IOC DECISION TO ALLOW RUSSIAN AND BELARUS PARALYMPIC ATHLETES TO COMPETE, SAYING: "First of all, it's absurd that they (IPC) give some quotas. Secondly, I'm not so into the Paralympic movement, but from
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Milano Cortina Paralympics Russia Ukraine Winter Olympics
  • Location: KYIV, UKRAINE
  • City: KYIV, UKRAINE
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Europe,Olympics,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA001633217022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych criticised the decision to allow Russia and Belarus to send athletes to next month’s Milano Cortina Paralympics, calling the allocation of quotas “absurd”.
    The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Tuesday (February 17) that Russia and Belarus would have a combined 10 para athletes competing at the Games.
    Both countries were banned from Paralympic competitions after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine but regained full membership rights after IPC member organisations voted in September 2025 to lift their partial suspensions. Belarus served as a key staging area for the invasion.
    Russia will have two quota places in para alpine skiing, two in para cross-country skiing and two in para snowboard, while Belarus received four cross-country skiing slots — one male and three female — the IPC said.
    Heraskevych, who was disqualified last week from the skeleton event after attempting to wear a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s invasion, said the decision risked allowing Russian propaganda to return to international competitions.
    “It’s absurd that they give some quotas,” he told Reuters from Kyiv.
    (Production: Simon Ormiston)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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