Several countries have announced they will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympic Games on Friday, in protest at the organisers' move to allow para athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus to compete under their national flags.
Ukraine was the first to announce a boycott, saying its team will skip the ceremony in Verona in protest at the International Paralympic Committee's decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their countries' flags.
