Berlin – The Beijing Paralympic Games will now take place without athletes from Russia and Belarus. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) backtracked 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.
“We at the IPC firmly believe that sport and politics should not mix,” said President Andrew Parsons. “However, war has come to these Games through no fault of our own and behind the scenes many governments are influencing our cherished event .” The escalating situation put the IPC “in a unique and impossible position.”
Pressure from member associations
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.