Athlete parade

The International Paralympic Committee: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed on Friday afternoon that the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Iran will not compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

NPC Iran had been due to participate with one athlete, two-time Paralympian Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei, in two Para cross-country skiing medal events, the men’s sprint classic standing on March 10, and the men’s 10km interval start classic standing race on March 11. However, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Paralympians cannot travel safely to Italy.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “It is really disappointing for world sport and especially for Aboulfazl that he is unable to travel safely to compete at his third Paralympic Winter Games at Milano Cortina 2026.