Winter Paralympics: Russian And Belarusian Athletes To Compete As Neutrals In Beijing
by Robert Hart · ForbesTopline
Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals at the Beijing Winter Paralympics which start later this week, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced Wednesday, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and widespread calls to bar its athletes from the contest.
Key Facts
Athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete in Beijing under the Paralympic flag and will not be included in the medal table, the IPC said following an emergency meeting of the group’s executive committee.
Russian delegates, who were already competing as neutrals following the Russian doping scandal, must cover the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) symbol on uniforms and Belarusian attendees must cover the Belarus flag.
IPC president Andrew Parsons said the measures were the “harshest possible punishment” the organization could issue under its constitution and rules.
Parsons said the IPC is “united in its condemnation” of the invasion but is constitutionally bound to “remain politically neutral,” a neutrality he said is “anchored in the genuine belief” of sport’s transformative power.
The IPC also said it would not host any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice and stripped Russian President Vladimir Putin and a string of high-ranking Russian officials of the organization’s highest accolade, the Paralympic Honor.
The organization will vote on whether adherence to the Olympic Truce, which calls for peace during and after the Games, should be a membership requirement for the IPC later this year, as well as whether to suspend the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic committees for the breach.
Key Background
Russia, and to a lesser extent Belarus, has been widely shunned on the international sporting stage, including basketball, soccer and hockey. The International Olympic Committee urged all sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international contests following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus assisted by permitting Russian troops to stage in the country. The inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral banner at the Paralympics, a sanction already imposed on Russia, is likely to be condemned as too soft and critics including UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries have already slammed the decision. Though the IOC urged groups to ban athletes entirely, it said athletes could compete neutrally if participation could not be avoided, for example legal or logistical reasons. Consequently, the IPC’s decision is compliant with this guidance.
What To Watch For
The Paralympic Games. It’s possible, despite the IPC’s urgings, that athletes may refuse to face off against Russian or Belarusian opponents even if they are competing neutrally. Ukraine is still sending its entire delegation—20 athletes and nine guides—to the Games and the IPC confirmed their safe arrival in Beijing earlier on Wednesday.