Russian and Belarusian athletes banned from Beijing Winter Paralympics
Winter Paralympics in Beijing, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Thursday, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine for which Belarus has been key staging area. The decision comes a day after the IPC gave athletes from the two countries the green light to participate as neutrals, saying that the governing body had followed its rules and that "athletes were not the aggressors". "Following a specially convened meeting, the IPC Governing Board has decided to refuse the athlete entries from the RPC and NPC Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games," the IPC said in a statement.
