At the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin presented state awards of the Russian Federation to the gold and silver medalists of the 2026 XIV Winter Paralympic Games

The Games were held in Italy from March 6 to 15, 2026. The Russian team, consisting of six athletes and one host athlete, competed in three disciplines (cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding) and won 12 medals (eight gold, one silver, and three bronze), finishing third in the overall team standings.

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Vladimir Putin:

Good afternoon, dear friends!

I am truly delighted to congratulate you—our national Russian team—on your truly incredible performance at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games.

You did not merely demonstrate the highest level of skill. Your participation in the Games—I think many will agree with me—has become one of the most memorable chapters in the history of global Paralympic sport. Confidently outpacing many renowned rivals, you won 12 medals, finished in the top three, and did so with a team of just six athletes and a lead athlete. The teams from other countries that took first and second place were more than 10 times larger than the Russian team.

You have clearly demonstrated to both Russia and the whole world who truly embodies the noble mission of a Paralympic athlete. And that mission and motto are known to all: “to inspire and delight the world.” That is exactly what you have done. Millions of people watched your performances with excitement, inspired by your determination, strength of spirit, and will to win.

Of course, you brought the strongest, most poignant emotions to Russian fans in particular, allowing them to truly rejoice for you from the bottom of their hearts. They rejoiced and took pride in your successes. For the first time in the last 12 years, we were also able to see our beloved Russian flag rise once again above the Paralympic podium, and to hear the Russian anthem with special trepidation and pride—thanks to you. You made the return of Russia’s main national symbols to the international arena, without any exaggeration, a triumph.

Skiier Anastasia Nikolaevna Bagiyan put in a brilliant performance. Together with her partner, Sergei Vitalievich Sinyakin, you left your rivals no chance and stood on the top step of the podium three times.

Varvara Olegovna Voronchikhina demonstrated exceptional skill. The youngest member of our team, she opened the Russian team’s victory tally at the Games and won medals in every discipline in which she competed. Two golds, a silver, and a bronze in alpine skiing—that’s simply wonderful, a magnificent debut.

The Games were also a triumph for Ivan Yuryevich Golubkov—he twice proved his undisputed leadership in sitting cross-country skiing. And we all know that Ivan Yuryevich publicly declared that he dedicates these victories to Russia, his country.

And our most experienced athlete—alpine skier Alexei Sergeyevich Bugaev—put a fitting cap on our team’s performances. By winning two bronze medals and that long-awaited gold medal, he lifted our team to what seemed like an impossible third place in the overall standings.

Dear friends!

Your energy, your focus on results, your self-belief, and your relentless training have led to great and meaningful success—both on a personal level and across our vast country. Your performances and victories, your path to success—are a great example of how one can and must overcome any life circumstances, always maintaining dignity and optimism, fortitude and composure, and remaining true to one’s principles, traditions, and convictions.

Special words of gratitude go to those who have guided you to victory over the years—your coaches. Amid pressure and restrictions, without adequate competitive practice, they have confirmed the highest level of our national coaching school—the very foundation of our country’s numerous achievements in sports and its glorious history, which has been and will continue to be shaped by heroes like you.

Once again, I congratulate everyone on your outstanding success at the recent Paralympic Games. Thank you for your perseverance, hard work, and skill.

Let me wish you new victories.