The International Paralympic Committee has removed the partial suspensions imposed on Russia and Belarus. During the IPC general assembly in Seoul, South Korea, a vote against a full suspension for Russia resulted in 111 in favor, 55 against, and 11 abstentions. Additionally, a vote against a partial suspension for Russia garnered 91 votes in favor, 77 against, and 8 abstentions. Similarly, Belarus had 119 votes in favor, 48 against, and 9 abstentions against a full suspension, while a partial suspension vote had 103 in favor, 63 against, and 10 abstentions.
Following these decisions, the full rights and privileges of IPC membership have been restored to NPC Belarus and NPC Russia. The IPC stated that practical arrangements will be made promptly. These developments could lead to conflicts with the governing bodies of each sport in preparation for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Paralympics in Italy scheduled from March 6-15 next year.
This decision comes after Russia and Belarus were excluded from international sporting events due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Russian Paralympic Committee expressed appreciation for the “fair decision” to fully reinstate them, emphasizing the importance of protecting athletes’ rights without discrimination based on nationality or political affiliation.
Meanwhile, no immediate response has been issued by the Ukraine Paralympic or Olympic committees. However, it was stated by state broadcaster Suspilne that Ukraine is legally prohibited from sending national teams to competitions where aggressor countries are represented without maintaining neutrality.
The Russian Olympic Committee has been under suspension since 2023 for violating the Olympic charter by incorporating regional sports bodies in occupied eastern Ukraine through an administrative land grab. Despite this, Russians will be permitted to participate in the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Games in northern Italy from Feb. 6-22. The IOC confirmed that Russians will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes, following the system used at the previous Paris Games.
