Paralympics won’t ban Russians, Belarusians from competing

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Wednesday that it will allow competitors from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Winter Paralympics beginning Friday, though they will not be able to compete under their nations’ flags because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The athletes from Russia and Belarus, which has supported Moscow’s invasion, will “compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table,” the IPC said in a statement. 

The committee added that an “extraordinary” General Assembly was to be held in order to determine if the future membership of Russia and Belarus should be terminated or suspended and if they were in violation of the Olympic truce.

All paralympic events in Russia or Belarus were also banned for the time being, the IPC said.

Last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the following day, the committee similarly recommended athletes and officials from the two countries not be allowed in competitions in addition to banning any events in Russia and Belarus. 

The IOC said that athletes from those countries will only be allowed to participate as a neutral individual without the flags or national anthems for their nation. 

Belarus has aided in the invasion by allowing Russia to attack Ukraine using its country’s entry points. The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service said last week that Russian troops had attacked from the Belarusian border after Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s orders to launch a military operation in Ukraine.