Ukraine outraged after International Paralympic Committee lifts partial suspensions of Russia, Belarus

MUNICH: Ukraine reacted with outrage on Saturday (Sep 27) after the International Paralympic Committee lifted a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow's incursion into Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine's Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi said those who voted for the decision at the IPC's general assembly in Seoul had betrayed "their conscience and the Olympic values".

The decision opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year despite the ongoing war and occupation.

"This decision means NPC (National Paralympic Committee) Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership," the IPC said in a statement.

It added: "The IPC will work with the two members involved to put practical arrangements in place for this as soon as reasonably possible."

However, the decision on which nations compete in the six sports on the winter programme is governed by the international sports federations that have so far maintained a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

"The position of the host country and the Organising Committee is crucial, and we are already working closely on this matter," said Bidnyi. "We call on our European partners, who will host the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games, not to allow the flag of the aggressor state to be raised over the free and democratic space while the war of aggression continues."

He added that Ukraine's "decision on whether to participate will be made collectively at a later stage".

The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the move, calling it "a fair decision" and "an example of how athletes' rights should be protected without discrimination on national or political grounds".

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