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The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has backed away from its initial decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as “neutrals” at the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing.
The organization said Thursday it would no longer be allowed to participate as protests by other nations “threaten the viability” of the Games.
The IPC issued a press release just one day after confirming that Russian athletes competing under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Belarus will be eligible to compete, but not under their flag and will also not be included in the official table of medals.
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“Many National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), teams and athletes are now threatening not to compete, threatening the viability of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics,” the press release said. “The situation in the athletes’ villages is escalating and ensuring the safety of the athletes has become untenable.”
Lee Rainey, a Canadian journalist for the Kyiv Post, is holding a photo of Eugene Malishev, a 19-year-old former member of Ukraine’s youth biathlon team who, according to the International Biathlon Union, died while serving in the Ukrainian military while speaking at a news conference. 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (AP Photo / Andy Wong)
The initial decision by the IPC on Wednesday was met with a sharp reaction from the sports world, including Ukrainian athletes, who accused the IPC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of “choosing bloodshed and winning over principle” amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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“As Russian and Belarusian bombs fall on Ukrainian citizens, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today struck another blow at every Ukrainian athlete and citizen, allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games.” statement Read.
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The President of the International Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons spoke at an IPC press conference at the Main News Center on March 2, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Wang He / Getty Images for the International Paralympic Committee)
“Today’s decision of the IPC provides another example of the strangulation that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has over the IPC. The IOC influenced the decision of the IPC to allow Russia to return from institutional doping, as well as influenced today’s decision,” it said. in the statement. . “On Monday, the IOC failed to temporarily suspend the National Olympic Committee of Russia and Belarus. Today, the IPC is doing the same. Both the IOC and the IOC continued to choose politics over principle and Russian interests over the interests of athletes.”
Russia condemned the IPC’s decision on Thursday, calling it a “disgrace”.
“The situation is monstrous, of course. It is a disgrace to the International Paralympic Committee,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. “We strongly condemn the International Paralympic Committee for this decision.”
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Flags of Russia and Belarus are waving during a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the Victory Monument. (Ramil Nasibulin TASS via Getty Images)
The games start on Friday. According to Reuters, Beijing already has a 71-member Russian team and a 12-member team from Belarus.