BEIJING – The president of the International Paralympic Committee violated protocol on Friday when he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a speech at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.
In the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, commission chairman Andrew Parsons said he was “horrified” by the invasion. “I want to start tonight with a message of peace,” Parsons said.
This was an unusually outspoken rebuke from the leader of an international sports organization and another sign of the way the war in Ukraine reverberated.
Although the Paralympic Games are run by a separate non-profit organization from the International Olympic Committee, the organization runs the event in parallel with the Olympic Games and with the same spirit of conduct, while using many of the same facilities.
In recent years, the International Olympic Committee has reaffirmed its ban on protests and political messages at the Olympics, rules that are usually aimed at athletes. But in this case, it was the head of the Paralympic Games who set the political tone, as the war continued to dominate the organizers’ agenda in the days before its four-year winter presentation.
The delegation from Ukraine, about 20 athletes, entered the National Stadium in Beijing to modest applause, some with raised fists as they walked around the stadium floor during the colorful and intricate ceremony.
Shortly after Parsons spoke, social media users in China noted that part of his speech had not been translated on Chinese television for about a minute, beginning with him saying, “At IPC, we are striving for better and more – an inclusive world, free from discrimination, free from hatred, free from ignorance and free from conflict. “
During this time, the television sign language translation also temporarily stopped.
Updated
March 4, 2022, 3:45 p.m. ET
Parsons praised the Chinese for their hospitality, called the sites “magnificent” and noted that “hundreds of thousands of facilities were built without barriers” for people with disabilities. But he also drew the wrath of social media users, who noted that in his opening remarks, Parsons, who is from Brazil, referred to the “Republic of China,” which is Taiwan’s official name. Maybe he wanted to say “People’s Republic of China” and did so later in the speech.
For days, as the invasion forced the Paralympic Commission to consider how it would treat athletes from Russia and Belarus, Parsons stressed that he was obliged by the IPC to avoid politics and practice neutrality according to its rules. But in the end, he acknowledged that action was inevitable, noting that the war had hampered the Games.
On Thursday, Parsons announced that the committee had overturned an earlier decision and banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing, an unusual move in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, backed by Belarus.
The war between Russia and Ukraine: key things you need to know
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Russian profits in the south. After taking control of Kherson and cutting off the city of Mariupol, Russian forces penetrated deeper into southern Ukraine, landing in the port of Nikolaev, just 60 miles from Odessa, a vital shipping center and the largest city in the south.
Athletes and delegations from many other countries have threatened to boycott, Parsons said, adding that tensions in the Olympic Village, where the athletes are staying, are rising. He said the viability of the Games would be called into question if Russians and Belarusians were allowed to compete.
Russia and Belarus have refused to appeal the decision and their athletes have agreed to leave Beijing.
Referring to his speech at Friday’s Olympic truce adopted by the UN General Assembly, Parsons said: “It must be respected and respected, not violated.”
The Paralympic Games will run until March 13 and will include more than 650 athletes, a record of 49 federations competing in 78 disciplines. Three federations are making their debuts: Israel, Azerbaijan and Puerto Rico.
Germany has won the most Paralympic medals with 365, including medals won by West Germany. Followed by Austria (332), Norway (327) and the United States (315).