The United States supported the participation of athletes from Russia in the Paralympics with a flag and anthem

Paolo Zampolli, special envoy of the American President Donald Trump, supported the restoration of the rights of the Russian Paralympic Committee and the opportunity for Russians to perform at the Paralympics with a flag and anthem.

"I think sport is for everyone," The New York Times quoted Zampolli as saying.

The publication notes that his opinion contradicts the statement of the leaders of the European Union (EU) and Ukraine.

The Special Envoy attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Italy along with U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier, in January, Zampolli had already met with Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev in Tashkent on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia.

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The press service of the Paralympic Games announced on February 20 that athletes from the Czech Republic would not take part in the opening ceremony. The relevant decision, as specified, was made by the Czech side because the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lifted the measures restricting the participation of Russians in competitions.

Representatives of the Italian Paralympic Committee said on the same day that their organization adheres to the position of Russian athletes participating in the Paralympics under a neutral flag and without the national anthem.

On the same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga called for a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games in protest against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in full-fledged competitions. On February 20, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called such statements undermining the principles of humanity and Olympism.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.