Russian and Belarussian athletes are BANNED from the Paralympic Winter Games just a DAY before they start, in a dramatic last-minute U-turn after rival countries threatened to boycott
- IPC board has decided to refuse entries from Russian and Belarusian athletes
- Their athletes are no longer free to participate in the Paralympic Winter Games
- The opening ceremony for the Paralympics in Beijing gets underway on Friday
Russian athletes have finally been kicked out of the Winter Paralympics after multiple countries threatened to boycott the Games.
The International Paralympic Committee sparked fury on Wednesday when they decided Russians and Belarusians could compete as neutrals, insisting it was the harshest punishment possible according to their rules.
However, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony and after a major backlash from teams including Great Britain, the IPC caved to pressure and banned athletes from the two nations over the invasion of Ukraine.
‘An overwhelming number of members told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is likely to have grave consequences. Multiple national committees are threatening not to compete,’ admitted under-fire IPC president Andrew Parsons, who revealed wheelchair curling and ice-hockey teams were refusing to play Russians on Saturday.
‘Ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us and the situation in the athlete villages is escalating and has now become untenable. It is a very, very volatile environment.
‘To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments’ actions.’
Parsons said he now expects legal action from Russia and Belarus, particularly as the IPC admitted themselves that their rulebook did not allow them to ban athletes over breaches of the Olympic Truce. The Russian Paralympic Committee called the decision to expel its athletes ‘baseless’ and ‘illegal’.
But IPC spokesperson Craig Spence added: ‘What we’ve seen in the 14 hours since is a move from letters of “We think you should ban”, to now, “We’re thinking of going home. We’re not playing”.
‘If we don’t act on that, then we’re crazy. If we didn’t pivot, we’d probably be talking to you in two days’ time about the fact that there’s not enough athletes here to do the Games.’
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board has decided to refuse the athlete entries from the Russia and Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games
Thursday’s U-turn was welcomed by the British Paralympic Association, who had also expressed their anger to the IPC and revealed they too could have boycotted the Games.
‘That was one potential scenario but something that we would not wish to exercise because our athletes deserve the right to be here,’ said BPA chair Nick Webborn.
In a statement, the BPA added: ‘Given the horror of what is happening in Ukraine, we believe they have made the correct decision for these Games and is in line with the values of the Paralympic movement.
‘ParalympicsGB athletes can now focus on the competition for which they have trained so hard and their welfare has been at the forefront of our thinking.’
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who had threatened ‘the full range of options’ to protest the IPC’s original decision, said: ‘I am pleased that the IPC has now come to the right decision and answered our call to ban Russian and Belarus athletes in response to Putin's barbaric, senseless invasion.
‘The welfare of all the other competing athletes is of utmost importance and we are pleased the IPC also recognise that.’
There were set to be 71 competitors from Russia and 12 from Belarus, while Ukraine have managed to get their full team of 20 to Beijing despite the difficulties of leaving their war-torn country.
IPC president Andrew Parsons insists ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us
Athletes have already arrived in Beijing with the opening ceremony due to take place on Friday
Valeriy Sushkevych, the Ukrainian Paralympic chief, said: ‘Our presence here is not merely a presence. This is a sign that Ukraine was, is and will remain a country.
‘For us, it is a matter of principle to be here with the Paralympic family - to be here as a symbol of Ukraine that is alive.
‘We came here from Ukraine and we travelled through Ukraine. It took us many days, we had to overcome a lot of barriers that had to do with the war.
‘Many members of our team barely managed to escape from the bombardments and shells exploding but still we made it here. I can say that this is a miracle.’
Parsons apologised to athletes from Russia and Belarus, by saying: 'First and foremost, we have a duty as part of the Paralympic mission, enshrined in the constitution, to guarantee and supervise the organisation of successful Paralympic Games, to ensure that in sport practiced within the Paralympic Movement the spirit of fair play prevails, violence is banned, the health risk of the athletes is managed and fundamental ethical principles are upheld.
'With this in mind, and in order to preserve the integrity of these Games and the safety of all participants, we have decided to refuse the athlete entries from RPC and NPC Belarus.
'To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments' actions.
'Athlete welfare is and always will be a key concern for us. As a result of today's decision 83 Para athletes are directly impacted by this decision.
'However, if RPC and NPC Belarus remain here in Beijing then nations will likely withdraw. We will likely not have a viable Games. If this were to happen, the impact would be far wider reaching.
'I hope and pray that we can get back to a situation when the talk and focus is fully on the power of sport to transform the lives of persons with disabilities, and the best of humanity.'
Governing bodies across the sporting world have been left with decisions to make after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion on Ukraine
The opening ceremony for the Paralympics gets underway on Friday.
The invasion of Ukraine has left governing bodies across the sporting world with decisions to make over Russia and Belarus.
After immense pressure, FIFA and UEFA decided to suspend Russia from all competitions until further notice.
Russian and Belarusian athletes have been excluded from World Athletics Series events indefinitely too.
The International Tennis Federation has suspended those countries from membership and team competitions, but individual players are still competing on the men's and women's professional tours.
The same is the case in Formula One after the FIA allowed Russians to compete as neutrals, though Motorsport UK will not allow Haas driver Nikita Mazepin to race at the British Grand Prix this summer.
Russia has captured its first major city in Ukraine after a week of fighting, with Kherson - a regional capital of 300,000 people on the Black Sea - now under the control of Putin's forces.
Igor Kolykhaiev, the city's mayor, said in an update around 1.a.m that 'armed visitors' had stormed a council meeting and imposed new rules including a strict curfew and urged citizens to follow them. But it was far from clear whether Ukrainian forces had totally withdrawn, with the UK MoD saying Thursday the situation is 'unclear'.
If Kherson is under full Russian control, then it opens up Odessa - Ukraine's main port city and primary naval base - to an assault. Amphibious landing ships were seen forming up off the west coast of Crimea Thursday morning as US officials warned a major assault from the sea could come later in the day.
Russian tanks and a military truck are seen rolling through the streets of Kherson on Wednesday
Meanwhile Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities, remained under a heavy bombing campaign overnight with missiles striking civilian areas - including a train station in the Ukrainian capital being used to evacuate people from the city and as a shelter for those who cannot or have chosen not to leave.
Chernihiv, in the north west, and Mariupol, in the south, also remain under Ukrainian control despite being all-but surrounded by Russian forces and coming under heavy bombardment. The mayor of Mariupol said Thursday that Russian artillery fire has been so intense that they cannot even remove wounded people from the streets.
Vadym Boichenko accused the Russians of doing 'everything to block the exit of civilians' including blowing up the city's trains, leaving people stranded before the artillery opened fire. Evacuations continued elsewhere, however, with the UN estimating that 1million people have now fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries.
Ukraine estimates that 2,000 civilians have been killed in fighting. The UN has confirmed 227 of those but said the true toll is likely far higher. War crimes prosecutors have opened a case into the deaths.
Negotiators from both Ukraine and Russia are set to meet on the border with Belarus today for a second round of talks, after an initial summit on Monday failed to yield any result.
The remains of a destroyed Russian military convoy are seen on a street in Bucha, to the south of Kyiv, on Wednesday morning
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2022-03-03 07:38:17Z
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