Hosts Italy voice ‘absolute opposition’ to Russia flag flying at Winter Paralympics

• Italian government urges IPC to reconsider its stance

• Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under flags

Italy, the Winter Olympic hosts, has called for a reversal of the decision to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.

The foreign minister Antonio Tajani and sports minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit.