Winter Paralympics | WATCH - German athletes deny selfie with Russians after turning back at podium

Germany's cross-country skiers, to mark their protest against inclusion of Russia at the ongoing Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, turned their back againts the gold medallist and denied taking a selfie post medal ceremony. This happened on Tuesday (Mar 10) during the women's sprint classic vision impaired event in which Anastasiia Bagiian and her guide Sergei Siniakin won gold. The International Paralaympic Committee (IPC) has allowed the Russian athletes to participate in the ongoing Winter Pralaympics, a first since 2014. The Russian were banned after a state-sponsored doping program was exposed and its war on Ukraine, which started in 2022, further added the restrictions.

Why German athletes denied taking selfie with Russians at Winter Paralympics 2026?

The Germans, along with many other countries, are protesting the inclusion of Russia and its ally Belarus at the ongoing Winter Paralympics 2026. To make their stand clear, seven countries - including Ukraine, had boycotted the opening ceremony of the quadrennial games on Friday (Mar 6). A total of six Russian and four Belarus athletes are taking part in the ongoing games.

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To further mark their protest, Germany's Linn Kazmaier and her guide Florian Baumann, who won the silver medal in women's sprint classic vision impaired event on Tuesday (Mar 11), turned their back against the Russian gold medal winners just as the national athem started to play to the medal win. The pair also said no to taking a selfie with the Russians after the medal ceremony.

What did German athletes say about turning back on Russians?

Speaking to German outlet Bild about the incident, silver winner Kazmaier said: "The medal ceremony felt completely strange. I don't know the [Russians], I don't know if perhaps they also support the system in Russia as little as we do.

"Perhaps they are really nice people, who we could be friends with. That it is so totally overshadowed by politics is simply a complete shame."

Bild report also stated that Kazmaier and Baumann did not take pary in medallists' selfie after the medal ceremony because: "Four years ago in Beijing we had a great exchange with the Ukrainians. We wanted to show solidarity to them," said Baumann.

"That's why we decided to leave our hats on and not turn towards the flag, because we do not support it."