In a coordinated act of solidarity, Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT, alongside its colleagues in Latvia, Estonia and Finland, has announced that it will not broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina, LRT informs.

Germany also joined the boycott yesterday.

The decision comes as a direct sign of protest against the controversial move of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags. And while LRT will still broadcast the sporting competitions to support the Lithuanian athletes, it has firmly opted out of the ceremonial events scheduled to take place in Verona on March 6, 2026. 'We are pleased to bring the Paralympic Games to he Lithuanian viewers, especially this year as our country returns to the winter event after a long hiatus. However, we cannot support IPC’s decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes,' stated Gytis Oganauskas, Deputy GM of LRT. 'We are joining our Baltic and Finnish colleagues in this initiative to skip the ceremonies as a sign of protest!'.

The boycott extends beyond the TV screen as the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee has confirmed that its delegation will not take part in the opening ceremony either. Lithuania’s sole representative, snowboarder Rapolas Micevičius, will compete in the snowboard cross and downhill slalom events but will not attend the parade of nations. His participation marks a historic moment for the country, being the first Lithuanian athlete to compete in the Winter Paralympics since 1994.

The 2026 games are set to be the largest in history, featuring 665 athletes and a record 79 medal sets to be awarded. The boycott of the ceremonies has also been supported by pubcasters and sports committees from Poland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, highlighting a major regional gap within the European media landscape regarding the IPC policies.

Despite the ceremonial blackout, LRT PLUS will provide extensive live coverage of the competitions on March 7, 8 and 14 with the 2026 Paralympic Games scheduled to wrap up on March 15 .