Paraplympics-No reason to sanction Israel, Games should promote peace, says IPC head

PARIS : Wars and conflicts should not influence participation in the Games, which need to convey a message of hope and support, and Israel should not be sanctioned, Andrew Parsons, the head of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said.

The IPC said in March that Russian and Belarusian athletes joining the Paris 2024 Paralympics would not be part of their opening ceremony.

Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot take part in team competitions at the July 26-Aug. 11 Olympics and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics, but are allowed to participate as neutrals - without flags or anthems being played.

Israel, however, will fully participate in the Games despite at least 35,456 Palestinians having been killed in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, according to Gaza's latest health ministry figures. Israel says its strikes are targeted at militants.

"The situations are different... The Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees were suspended because both organisations have breached the (Olympic) constitution," Parsons told Reuters 100 days before the start of the Paris Paralympics.

"They used the Olympic movement to promote the war and the invasion of Ukraine."

Olympic authorities believe Israel should not be penalised.

"In the case of Israel, the Paralympic Committee and even the Palestine Paralympic Committee have not done anything of that nature, so we don't have any process in place when it comes to suspending those national Paralympic committees," Parsons explained.

"So far, the two national Paralympic (committees) are in line with our constitution, and we don't have any suspension process in place targeting those two nations."

Parsons added the Olympic movement should keep a cool head and promote peace.

"We don't