Zelenskyy honors Ukraine’s Winter Paralympic heroes with state awards
President awards Paralympic medalists and their coaches (photo: president.gov.ua)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the national Paralympic team, which achieved a triumphant performance at the Winter Games in Italy. The head of state presented orders and medals to athletes who, despite pressure from international bodies and the ongoing war at home, managed to bring Ukraine to the top of the world rankings, according to the Presidential Office.
Pride and gratitude
During the ceremony, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the success of Ukrainian athletes was a response to the unfair decision of the International Paralympic Committee to allow Russian participation in the competitions.
"None of this broke you, and that is the most important thing. You are stronger than all of this. At these Games, our flag rose high once again. Most importantly, our national anthem sounded victorious again. All of this unites Ukrainians around two emotions: pride and gratitude," the president stressed.
Medal haul in Italy
The Ukrainian team concluded the 2026 Paralympics in third place by total medal count. The blue and yellow team collected 19 medals:
- 3 gold
- 8 silver
- 8 bronze
The main heroes of the competitions were representatives of para-biathlon and cross-country skiing. Notably, Oleksandra Kononova won five medals, Taras Rad took four, and Oleksandr Kazik, together with guide Serhiy Kucheryivyi, brought home one gold and two silver medals for the country.
State awards for the heroes
For their significant contribution to sports development and determination to win, Zelenskyy awarded athletes and their coaches with:
- Orders of Merit I–III degrees
- Orders of Courage III degree
- Orders of Princess Olga II–III degrees
- Orders of Prince Yaroslav the Wise V degree
- Medals “For Labor and Valor”
- Honorary titles “Merited Worker of Physical Culture and Sports”
The Paralympic Games took place from March 6 to 15, with Ukraine finishing in seventh place in the overall team ranking among more than 40 participating countries.
Earlier, an investigation by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine identified which Russian Paralympians had killed Ukrainians and attacked Ukrainian cities.
