Russians, Belarusians to compete as 'neutral athletes' at Beijing Winter Paralympics

The International Paralympic Committee added more restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes when the Paralympics open on Friday, but stopped short of expulsion

Russians and Belarusians at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing will compete as “neutral athletes” because of their countries' roles in the war against Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday.

Russian athletes had already been slated to compete as RPC, short for Russian Paralympic Committee, as punishment for the state-sponsored doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and a subsequent cover-up.

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The IPC added more restrictions when the Paralympics open on Friday, but stopped short of expulsion. Belarus was sanctioned for its part in aiding Russia with the invasion and war against Ukraine.

Both delegations will be excluded from the medal table, and the IPC said it would not hold events in either country “while the present situation continues."

“What we have decided upon is the harshest possible punishment we can hand down within our constitution and the current IPC rules," IPC president Andrew Parsons said in a statement. "In deciding what actions the IPC should take, it was fundamental that we worked within the framework of our new constitution to remain politically neutral and within the IPC Handbook, the rules and regulations that govern the Paralympic Movement."

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under the Paralympic flag and the Paralympic anthem. The RPC delegation must cover the “RPC” symbol on uniforms in all events and ceremonies. The Belarus delegation must cover its national flag on uniforms.