Russian and Belarusian athletes allowed to participate as neutrals at the Paralympic Winter Games

By Wayne Sterling, CNN

Updated 1320 GMT (2120 HKT) March 2, 2022

The Winter Paralympic Games get underway in Beijing on March 4.

(CNN)Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate as neutrals at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday.

The decision, which comes as the sporting world continues to impose sanctions on Russia and Belarus following the former's invasion of Ukraine, means athletes from the two countries will compete under the Paralympic flag and will not be included in the medal table.The Russian delegation must cover the Russian Paralympic Committee symbol on their uniforms in all official ceremonies and sporting competitions, the IPC said. The Belarus delegation must also cover the Belarus flags on their uniforms.In a statement, IPC president Andrew Parsons said: «The IPC and wider Paralympic Movement is greatly concerned by the gross violation of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarusian governments in the days prior to the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.»«The IPC Governing Board is united in its condemnation of these actions and was in agreement that they cannot go unnoticed or unaddressed.»ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina speaks out against Russian invasion 03:21Read MoreThe Olympic Truce dates back almost 3,000 years to the early days of the ancient games when the leaders of three Greek city-states agreed to limit their battles. In modern times, the Truce has been invoked as a universal goal by the UN regularly since 1993.On January 28, UN Secretary-General António Guterres asked nations around the world to lay down their weapons and observe an Olympic Truce from seven days