International Paralympic Committee lifts partial suspensions of Russia, Belarus

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin poses for pictures with Russian Paralympians, medallists from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games following a state awards ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 16, 2024. (FILE/AFP)

• The International Paralympic Committee on Saturday decided to lift a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine

MUNICH: The International Paralympic Committee on Saturday decided to lift a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This decision, taken at the IPC’s general assembly meeting in Seoul, opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games next year.
However, competition in the six sports on the program is governed by international federations that have so far maintained a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
To be eligible, each athlete must have an active license for the 2025/26 season from their international federations for para Alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing, para snowboarding, para biathlon, para ice hockey and wheelchair curling, which have currently suspended both countries.
The partial suspension was adopted by the IPC General Assembly in 2023, authorizing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games under a neutral flag and strict neutrality conditions.
The IPC had excluded the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees from the Beijing 2022 Games.
The IPC’s latest decision comes eight days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games under a neutral flag and strict neutrality conditions.