German Paralympians pointedly refuse to be in photo with Russians

German athlete Leonie Maria Walter has demonstrated her civic stance at the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

Source: Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company

Details: The skier came fourth in the Sprint Classic in the NS1 category for visually impaired athletes. Afterwards, some Chinese athletes were taking selfies at the arena when Russian skier Anastasiia Bagiian, who had won the gold medal the previous day, approached them.

Seeing this, Walter and her guide refused to be in the joint photo. It should be noted that this was no accident, as Germany had boycotted the Paralympics opening ceremony due to the decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag.

Background: 11 March is the fifth day of competitive events at the 2026 Paralympics. The schedule can be found here.

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