Seven countries to boycott Paralympics ceremony over flag-flying Russians
Seven countries and the British government will boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in protest at the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes.The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine would not be sending athletes or officials to the ceremony on Friday night.Other countries – including Great Britain – have said they will not be sending athletic representation due to the imminent start of competition.The IPC estimates fewer than 60% of the competing countries will send a full delegation to the 2,000-year-old Arena di Verona.The UK government confirmed there would be no representatives attending the event and reiterated its opposition to Russian athletes competing under their own flag.
“We have been clear that the Russian and Belarusian states should not be represented in international sport while the barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.” But it did say the minister for sport, Stephanie Peacock, would be in Cortina “purely to support our inspirational ParalympicsGB athletes”.Andrew Parsons, the president of the IPC, defended the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their own flag for the first time since 2014.Russia and Belarus were banned from the 2022 Paralympics after the invasion of Ukraine,.At the same time, there is mounting uncertainty over the participation of countries caught up in the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran“Our clear focus remains on supporting all stakeholders arriving and preparing to deliver the best Paralympic Winter Games,” he said.
“We are collaborating with Milano Cortina and ensuring this event continues to serve as a platform to drive social change for the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disability.”Parsons said the decision taken by the IPC general assembly last September was consistent with democratic principles.“I acknowledge this decision has not been well received in some parts of the world,” he said.“But I want to stress that the IPC is a democratic global organisation whose decisions on member suspension are determined by its members.
“Last September was the third time the general assembly voted on this topic,In 2022, [the result was] full suspension,In 2023, partial suspension, 2025, no suspension,Each time the IPC respected and implemented the decision of our member organisations, as we are bound by our constitution to do so,We cannot pick and choose when to be democratic.
”On the conflict in the Middle East, the IPC has said it will not comment on the risk of countries being unable to compete, but Parsons said “our thoughts are with those affected”.The IPC, he said, “is closely monitoring the situation and is continuing to collect, confirm and assess the available information to determine the impact on these Games and the wider Paralympic movement.We recognise the situation affects not just the national Paralympic committees competing at the Games but also our wider membership.”With the Games increasingly constrained by geopolitical crises, Parsons sought to refocus attention on an event that will be the biggest in the history of the Winter Paralympics, and its 50th anniversary.About 612 athletes from 56 countries are expected to compete, compared with 474 from 38 when the Winter Games was last in Italy, at Torino 2006.
Spread from Milan to Cortina, and including events in the municipality of Tesero, it will also be the biggest Paralympic Games in terms of geographic scale.“This is the only event of global reach that puts persons with disabilities centre stage is the Paralympic Games,” Parsons said.“So this is an important message to the world that if given opportunities, if we remove the barriers, persons with disability can do whatever they want.The games are important to send that message.”
Nissan ‘says Sunderland plant could close’ if UK excluded from Made in Europe rules
The Japanese carmaker Nissan has reportedly said it could be forced to close its plant in Sunderland if the UK is not fully included in new “Made in Europe” manufacturing rules proposed by the EU.The UK car industry trade representative group also said it was “gravely concerned” about the proposals, which it said could damage the £70bn annual cross-channel trade.Under the EU plans, public subsidies to speed up the development of electric vehicles would only be available to EVs made in European plants. Announced by the EU industrial strategy commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, on Wednesday, the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is designed to protect the bloc from cheap competition from China.According to reports on Thursday, Nissan has privately warned the UK government it could be forced to close if the proposals became law
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The travel disruption, the higher oil price and the fall in the euro caused by the Iran war has prompted low-cost airline Wizz Air to issue a profits warning.Wizz Air warned investors last night that it believes the current crisis in the Middle East will wipe €50m off its profits this financial years.Wizz had previously predicted that earnings would fall within a profit of €25m to a loss of €25m, so today’s warning means it expects a loss for the year.The company told the City:double quotation markIn terms of the expected impact, approximately one third is a result of the cessation of certain scheduled services to the Middle East, with the remainder from the adverse movement in macroeconomic factors as a result of the Iran conflict.Our assessment of the impact of these macroeconomic factors is based on jet fuel and US$/€ rates as of today, and assumes that these rates will remain at current levels for rest of Fiscal Year 2026
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The latest smartphone in the lower-cost A-series Pixel line shows what makes Google phones so good, while undercutting the competition on price. The problem is that it differs little from its predecessor, which is still on sale.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more
Harry Brook reiterates support for Brendon McCullum after England’s World Cup exit
Harry Brook called on the England & Wales Cricket Board to back Brendon McCullum as all-format coach after England brought their winter to a close with defeat to India in a wild T20 World Cup semi-final that became, by a margin of 45 runs, the highest-scoring game in the competition’s history.Though his position has been the subject of speculation since England’s sorry performance in the Ashes McCullum said after his side’s seven-run loss in Mumbai he would “love to carry on”, and Brook that the New Zealander remained “125%” the right man for the job.“Our partnership has been good throughout the competition and since I’ve taken over,” said Brook, who was named England’s white-ball captain last April. “We get on very well and the communication has been outstanding. Long may it continue
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That was modest of Samson, but if anyone else was going to pip him to the match award, it should have been Axar Patel. His fielding was phenomenal, first when he caught Harry Brook in the deep, running back, and then when, uncredited on the scorecard, he got an inspired assist for the catch by Dube that got rid of the tenacious Jacks. In a game of 499 runs, the winner is the team that fielded better.Never mind the players – I am now a spent force, so I’m going to collapse in a heap. Simon Burnton’s match report will be with you shortly
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