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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week recommended
that sports federations suspend teams and athletes from the two
countries but added that they could compete as neutrals if time
or legal constraints prevented their removal.
"They will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included
in the medal table," the IPC said in a statement https://www.paralympic.org/press-release/ipc-makes-decisions-regarding-rpc-and-npc-belarus.
"In deciding what action to take, the Board was guided by the
IPC's core principles, which include a commitment to political
neutrality and impartiality, and an unwavering belief in the
transformative power of sport.
"These are key components of the new IPC Constitution that was
approved at the 2021 IPC General Assembly held just over three
months ago."
Russian athletes were already set to compete under the Russian
Paralympic Committee banner as part of sanctions imposed for a
state-sponsored doping programme.
Russia and Belarus will participate as Neutral Paralympic
Athletes and Paralympic Neutral Athletes, respectively.
IPC president Andrew Parsons said that while Russia had launched
the attack on Ukraine, the athletes were not the aggressors.
"It's important to make that distinction... they are not
soldiers and we need to treat them with respect just like the
others who have earned the right to be here," he told reporters.
"We do recognise the seriousness and magnitude of the situation
but we just tried to follow the rules and separate politics from
sport."
IPC DECISION SPARKS CRITICISM
A joint statement from the athletes of Ukraine and Global
Athlete group, an international athlete-led pressure body, said
the IPC issued "another blow" to every Ukrainian athlete and
citizen.
"The demands of the athletes have been cast aside in favour of
Russian interests," the statement said. "Sports administrators
are choosing bloodshed and profits over principle and
stakeholders."
Germany's chef de mission Karl Quade, a member of the Paralympic
movement since the IPC was founded in 1989, said he was "deeply
ashamed" by the decision.
The Swiss Paralympic Committee said it could not comprehend the
reasons for allowing the athletes to compete.
"The fact that legal considerations were given priority over
moral and political arguments is a major burden for the
credibility of the Paralympic movement," it said in a statement.
Britain condemned the IPC's decision, with UK Culture Secretary
Nadine Dorries, who is responsible for sport, saying she would
consult with sports bodies on how best to protest this decision.
"They (the IPC) must join the rest of the world in condemning
this barbaric invasion by banning Russian and Belarusian
athletes from competing," Dorries said in a statement.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) said it supported the
sanctions imposed by the IPC but would have liked Russia and
Belarus to be expelled immediately.
"The Canadian Paralympic Committee awaits for a special general
assembly to be called as soon as possible whereby IPC members
will review the membership status of Russia and Belarus within
the IPC," the CPC said.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said it was
disappointed with the outcome as it "excuses Russia's disregard
for not only the Olympic truce, but also for the victims of a
senseless war".
The IOC last week said the Russian government had breached the
Olympic Truce, which aims to harness the power of sport to
promote peace and dialogue.
MORE SANCTIONS UPON RUSSIA, BELARUS BY IPC
The IPC added it would not host any events in Russia and
Belarus, including World and European Championships, until
further notice and urged other international and regional para
federations to follow a similar approach.
A number of sports federations, including soccer's world
governing body FIFA and European ruling body UEFA, have banned
teams and athletes from the two countries, and stripped them of
key events such as this season's Champions League final.
"Given the time constraints... the IPC Governing Board will
reconvene after the Games to further discuss this matter and any
additional action that may be required," the statement added.
The 20-member Ukrainian contingent, accompanied by nine guides,
arrived in Beijing on Wednesday following initial fears they may
not be able to make it in time for the Games, which run from
March 4-13.
While the IPC hasn't spoken to Ukrainian athletes since the
decision, Parsons insisted they were here to compete.
"These athletes have fought the battle of their lives to be
here... this is a difficult moment in the history of the nation
and they want to make everyone proud," he said.
(Additional reporting by Manasi Pathak and Aadi Nair in
Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet, Christian Radnedge and
Ed Osmond)
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