The International Paralympic Committee restored the rights of the Russian Federation and Belarus
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided not to extend the suspension of Russia and Belarus from membership in the organization, reports on the official website of the IPC.
On September 27, at the meeting of the General Assembly, the members of the committee voted against the continuation of the partial exclusion of these countries.
The proposal for the complete exclusion of Russia was first put to the vote: 111 members voted “for”, 55 – “against”, another 11 abstained, but this was not enough to obtain the necessary majority. They also did not support the decision to continue the partial suspension of the Paralympic Committee of the Russian Federation.
Voting for complete and partial suspension of membership of Belarus also did not get the required number of votes. This decision means that the National Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus will restore full rights and privileges of membership in the IOC in accordance with its Constitution.
The Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees were suspended in November 2022 for “breaching the constitutional obligations of membership”. The February actions of the Russian Federation and Belarus – the invasion of Ukraine before the start of the Paralympics in Beijing – became a key factor in this decision, since the Olympic truce was violated.
The IPC has not yet clarified whether the restoration of membership will allow the performance of athletes of the Russian Federation and Belarus under national symbols. The decision was made on the eve of the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, which will begin on March 6 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
We remind you that in Ukraine the legislation prohibits to delegate national teams to competitions where aggressor countries are represented without observing the principles of neutrality and under state symbols. The corresponding version of the order of the Ministry of Youth and Sports is effective from July 26, 2023.
