Russia and Belarus at the Paralympics – Strong criticism

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made this decision on Wednesday after the Russian invasion of Ukraine supported by Belarus. “They will compete under the Paralympic flag and will not appear in the medal table,” the IPC said in a statement. The games start on Friday and last until March 13th.

The IPC made the decision despite calls to exclude the athletes from the competitions. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week recommended that sports federations suspend teams and athletes from Russia and Belarus. At the same time, the IOC added that they could compete as neutrals if time or legal restrictions prevented their exclusion.

In making the decision, the committee was guided by the fundamental guidelines of the IPC, which include a commitment to political neutrality and impartiality as well as an unwavering belief in the transformative power of sport. “These are key components of the new IPC constitution, which was approved at the General Assembly just over three months ago in 2021,” the IPC continued. IPC does not want to punish the athletes Several sports associations, including the world football governing body FIFA and the ski association FIS, have excluded the teams and athletes from Russia and Belarus. The IPC, on the other hand, apparently wanted to punish the affected countries, but not let the athletes suffer. “I now expect all participants to treat the neutral athletes like any other athlete at these Games, no matter how difficult that may be,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “Unlike their respective governments, these Paralympic athletes and officials are not the aggressors. You’re here to take part in a sporting event like everyone else.”

The Paralympics in Beijing start in two days. © APA/KEYSTONE / ENNIO LEANZA

Until further notice, the IPC will not be holding any events in Russia or Belarus. The executive branch “agreed that the violation of the ceasefire could not go unpunished.” The Olympic ceasefire resolution, signed by 193 member states of the UN General Assembly, calls for the ceasefire to be observed from seven days before the start of the Winter Olympics on February 4th to seven days after the end of the Paralympic Winter Games on March 21st. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other politicians and officials were stripped of their Paralympic medals and other honors.

“What we have decided to do is the harshest punishment we can impose under our Constitution and current IPC rules,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. After the games, we will “find out with our 206 member organizations whether violations of the Olympic Truce could lead to possible suspension or expulsion for future Paralympic Games.” The members should also decide “whether we suspend or terminate the membership of the National Paralympic Committee of Russia or Belarus”. Associations put IOC under pressure Previously, among others, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), athletes from Ukraine and other national associations - including Austria, Germany and the USA - had called for the exclusion of athletes from Russia in an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach and IPC boss Andrew Parsons and Belarus demanded. The decision promptly sparked criticism.

The decision should be “respected,” said Maria Rauch-Kallat, President of the Austrian Paralympic Committee (ÖPC), and ÖPC General Secretary Petra Huber. “We have been assured that it is the harshest punishment that can be given under the IPC Constitution and current rules. The Russian and Belarusian athletes are not competing for their home countries, but under a neutral flag and will not appear in the medal table.” The critic Statements in Germany and Great Britain were much more critical. The German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) reacted with great incomprehension. “This is disappointing and disheartening. Given the daily atrocities of war in Ukraine, we would not have thought such a decision was possible,” said DBS President Friedhelm Julius Beucher.

British Culture and Sport Minister Nadine Dorries said: “I am extremely disappointed with the IPC – this is the wrong decision and I call on committee members to reconsider the decision as soon as possible.” Dorries added that the IPC “will follow the rest of the world must help condemn the barbaric invasion by barring Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating.”

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Russia and Belarus at the Paralympics – Strong criticism

The Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to take part in the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing under a neutral flag.

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