CORTINA D’AMPEZZO – Organizers of the Milan Cortina Paralympics have responded to criticisms from Ukraine’s Paralympic committee, which accused both the local organizers and the International Paralympic Committee of exerting “systematic pressure” on Ukrainian athletes and coaches.

On Thursday, the Milan Cortina organizing committee addressed these concerns, stating that they had carefully reviewed the issues brought up by Ukraine and provided clarifications for their actions.

Ukraine raised several complaints on Wednesday, including allegations that their team was forced to remove a Ukrainian flag, disrupt planning meetings, and that an athlete was barred from wearing an earring inscribed with “Stop War” during a podium ceremony.

The organizing committee explained that they requested the removal of the Ukrainian flag from a “communal space” because village regulations permit national flags to be displayed solely in the residential areas occupied by respective teams.

They further clarified that Ukraine has the option to reserve “dedicated rooms within the village for hosting meetings,” emphasizing their commitment to working closely with all teams to facilitate meetings of varying sizes.

Craig Spence, the IPC’s chief brand and communications officer, cited the Games’ regulations as the reason behind the prohibition on the Ukrainian athlete’s “Stop War” earring during the podium ceremony.

Organizers added that at the Para cross-country venue five fans tried to enter wearing scarves in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and with text on them.

“As venue security could not verify the meaning of the text, and it may have contained political messaging, which is not permitted under Games regulations, the spectators were asked to enter the venue without the scarves,” the local organizing committee said. “The items were returned to them when they exited the venue.

“(Organizers and the IPC) remain committed to providing a respectful and welcoming environment for all stakeholders, including athletes and spectators. The rules and procedures in place during the Games are designed to support that environment and are applied equally to all delegations.”

Ukraine was one of several countries that boycotted the opening ceremony because the IPC allowed Russian athletes wild card entries and to compete under their own flag for the first time in more than a decade at the Paralympics.

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AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games