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Iran will not compete in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, as lone athlete is forced to withdraw amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
On Friday, March 6, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed that Iran will not participate, citing travel safety issue.
Aboulfazal Khatibi Mianaei, a two-time Paralympian, was set to compete in two Para cross-country skiing medal events on March 10 and March 11.
However, the athlete who represented Iran in Pyeongchang (2018) and Beijing (2022), is unable to travel safely to Italy.
Andrew Parsons, IPC President, stated, "We were informed by NPC Iran that safe passage to Milano Cortina 2026 was not possible, and, as a result, they would not be able to come to the Games."
He added, "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."
Furthermore, the president shared that since the conflict, the committees had been trying to secure a safe travel passage with no success, adding that "the risk to human life is too high."
As a consequence of the withdrawal, Iran's flag has also been removed from the athlete parade scheduled for Friday's opening ceremony at the Arena di Verona.
Besides the travel disruption, several nations have also expressed their intention to boycott the event in protest at the return of Russian athletes.
