Why Russians, Belarusians are allowed to compete at the Paralympics

The International Paralympic Committee confirmed today that it will not exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from the upcoming Games in Beijing, choosing not to follow the lead of other international sports organizations that have enacted such bans in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The IPC said that Russians and Belarusians will compete as "neutral" athletes under the Paralympic flag and anthem.

They can win medals and stand on the podium, but their countries will not be included in the medal standings and their flags will not be displayed. Though several countries, including Canada, said they wanted Russian and Belarusian athletes to be expelled from the Games, IPC president Andrew Parsons called today's move "the harshest possible punishment we can hand down within our constitution and the current IPC rules." Parsons also said it was "fundamental that we worked within the framework of our new constitution to remain politically neutral and within… the rules and regulations that govern the Paralympic Movement." Translation: the IPC did not want to risk legal challenges from Russians and Belarusians, many of whom are already in Beijing and have participated in official training sessions ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee acknowledged this reality on Monday when it called for sports organizations to ban Russians and Belarusians from their events but essentially gave the IPC a pass for the Beijing Games. The Canadian Paralympic Committee also conceded the difficulty of a ban, saying today: "We would have liked the two countries expelled immediately, but due to legal constraints this is not possible." A statement released on behalf of Ukrainian athletes called the IPC's decision