Ukraine reacts strongly to IPC decision to lift suspensions of Russia, Belarus

Ukraine has reacted strongly to the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to lift partial suspensions of Russia and its ally, Belarus.

At the IPC General Assembly in South Korea on Saturday, member organizations voted not to maintain the suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian national Paralympic committees.

The IPC told NHK that Russian and Belarusian athletes can represent their respective countries at the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games next March.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and Youth and Sports Ministry released a joint statement on Saturday. It says Ukraine considers the IPC decision “shameful” and that the about-face “effectively encourages Russian aggression, terror, and killings, and fosters impunity for the Russian and Belarusian regimes.”

A Ukrainian media outlet reports that the country’s Youth and Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi says Kyiv will decide later whether to participate in the upcoming Winter Paralympics.

Russian Sport Minister Mikhail Degtyarev wrote in a social media post on Saturday that the IPC decision is an important step toward the full restoration of Russian athletes’ rights in the international sporting arena.

In March 2022, the IPC banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Beijing Winter Paralympics, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which had begun just days earlier.

In the following year, the IPC decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics in an individual and neutral capacity.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board decided earlier this month that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the Milano Cortina Games next February as individual neutrals.