Russia captured two bronze medals on the opening day of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics. This marks the first time in 12 years that Russian athletes have won medals while competing under their national flag at a Winter Paralympics since the 2014 Sochi Games.
Varvara Voronchikhina, a 24-year-old Russian visually impaired alpine skier, claimed bronze in the women's downhill standing event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on March 7, finishing with a time of 1:24.47. In the subsequent men's event, Alexei Bugaev, 29, added another bronze medal with a time of 1:18.94.
Russia had been competing as "neutral athletes" in international competitions due to sanctions stemming from the 2016 doping scandal and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to reinstate Russia and Belarus's membership last September, Russian athletes were permitted to compete under their national flag starting from this Games. Seven countries including Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Poland boycotted the opening ceremony in protest of the IPC's decision.
Russian athletes could not contain their emotions after stepping onto the podium. Following her race, Voronchikhina said, "We have competed without our flag for a long time, and all my teammates are truly happy to be competing under our flag again." Bugaev added, "We never stopped training even during the period when we couldn't participate in competitions. We went through monthly training camps and had an excellent preseason in Russia before coming to Italy." Both athletes reportedly declined to answer questions related to the war in Ukraine.
Russia sent six athletes to these Games, primarily competing in alpine skiing and snowboard events.
