Degtyarev called Russian Paralympians heroes

Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation and Head of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), congratulated the Russian athletes participating in the Winter Paralympics in Italy on their outstanding results.

Six Russian athletes competed in full-fledged status, under the national flag and with the national anthem. They took the third place in the medal standings.

"Playing in the minority, our national team entered the top 3 best teams with eight gold medals, one silver and three bronze. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly noted, our Paralympians consistently achieve impressive results, and with their victories and records they contribute to strengthening Russia's authority as a global sports power," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Degtyarev also noted the importance of the 2026 Paralympic Games for Russian sports. He stressed that for the first time in 12 years, Russian paraathletes will be able to participate in the parade of participating countries under the Russian flag and with the national anthem thanks to the decision taken by the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in September 2025.

This became possible after the restoration of the rights of the Russian Paralympic Committee. The Minister noted that this was preceded by active diplomatic and legal work on the part of the Ministry of Sports, the Olympic and Paralympic Committees, as well as federations.

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Earlier that day, the Russian national team finished the Paralympic Games in Italy in third place in the medal standings. Alpine skier Varvara Voronchikhina won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals. Alpine skier Alexey Bugaev won gold and two bronze medals. Skier Anastasia Baghiyan became a three-time Paralympic champion, and skier Ivan Golubkov reached the highest step of the podium twice.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 10 that the successes of Russian athletes at the Games in Italy are a reason for pride for the whole of Russia.

The Russian national anthem was played for the first time since 2014 at the award ceremony at the Paralympic Games on March 9. This happened after the victory of the Russian athlete Varvara Voronchikhina, who won the gold medal in the alpine skiing supergiant. The athlete herself then said that she dedicates her victory at the Paralympics in Italy to her grandfather, who passed away.

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