Dhe Paralympic Games in Beijing are now taking place without athletes from Russia and Belarus. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) took a backwards roll on Thursday, less than 24 hours after its controversial decision to allow athletes to fly the neutral flag. Several teams and athletes had previously threatened to boycott the games. There was also clear protest from Germany against the original decision.
“We at the IPC firmly believe that sport and politics should not mix,” said President Andrew Parsons after the U-turn. “However, the war has come to these games through no fault of our own and many governments are lobbying behind the scenes our valued event.” The escalating situation has put the IPC “in a unique and impossible position.” After all, the pressure from the member associations had become too great. “Several Paralympic National Committees, some of which have been contacted by their governments, teams and athletes, are threatening not to compete,” Parsons said. if we don’t reconsider our decision.”
Since the decision to admit the Russian and Belarusian athletes, “the situation in the athletes’ villages has escalated and has now become untenable,” said Parsons, explaining the about-face. It is now a matter of “preserving the integrity of these games and the safety of all participants”. Parsons apologized to the athletes from Russia and Belarus. “They are victims of the actions of their governments,” said the Brazilian. A total of 83 athletes are affected by the exclusion.
The German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) welcomes the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paralympics in Beijing after all. “It’s a wonderful turnaround,” said DBS President Friedhelm Julius Beucher: “We, the athletes, but also most of the National Paralympic Committees have lost an incredible burden. We didn’t want to understand this decision, that at the same time Ukrainian athletes are worried about their families, who are sitting in air-raid shelters, and they are supposed to compete peacefully here with athletes from the countries that invaded their country,” said Beucher. The IPC decision was “simply beautiful”.
Immediately after the decision on Wednesday, there was horror and outrage among several delegations. The IPC initially only decided to declare Russians and Belarusians neutral athletes, to withhold their national flag and national anthem in the event of a sporting success and not to list the countries in the medal table.
The DBS called the decision unacceptable and a completely wrong signal in the current global political situation. Chef de Mission Karl Quade said he had been a member of the IPC since it was founded in 1989: “But I am deeply ashamed of this decision.” and despondent. Given the daily horrors of war in Ukraine, we would not have thought such a decision possible.”
A Russian invasion is raging in Ukraine, and the IPC is invoking rules and regulations. He has no understanding for that. “In such a situation, moral and political decisions are needed, not legal ones,” said Beucher: “We respect a democratically made decision, but we cannot accept it.” Less than 24 hours later, the IPC made a U-turn. The games in Beijing are scheduled to open with a celebration on Friday.
The Ukrainian team published this comment on Wednesday: “While Russian and Belarusian bombs rain down on Ukrainian citizens, the IPC has dealt another blow to every Ukrainian athlete and citizen by allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paralympic Games.” Dutch and Brits also expressed their outrage at the decision.
IPC President Andrew Parsons of Brazil, when asked to reply to the team at a press conference Wednesday night local time in Beijing, replied: “The best way to express your pride in being Ukrainian is to do what they do best: compete at the highest possible level. I think this is how they can express the strength of the Ukrainian people: win as many medals as possible on the field here in Beijing.”
The rules did not allow breaking the Olympic ceasefire to be sanctioned. Excluding the teams would have consequences in German courts – the IPC is based in Bonn – and endanger the entire Paralympic sport. Not a day later, the IPC came to a different assessment.
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