The decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete at the Beijing Winter Paralympics will lead to “a lot of boycotts”, British Paralympian Ali Jawad has predicted.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has been strongly criticised for its decision to let athletes from the two countries take part as neutrals, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has been aided and abetted by Belarus.
The British Paralympic Association said it would “reflect on the implications” of the decision, having previously stated that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete would not be “compatible with the objectives of the Paralympic movement”.
Paralympic weightlifter Jawad told the PA news agency: “If I was an athlete going to the Winter Games I would refuse to compete.
“Me competing in sport is not bigger than human life. Unfortunately the IPC has put athletes in a very difficult spot now. Potentially it’s up to athletes to take it into their own hands and that is unfair on them. Because of the decision the IPC made I think there will be a lot of boycotts.”
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said she was “extremely disappointed” in the IPC and called on it to “urgently reconsider”, adding: “We will consider the full range of options in protest of this decision, in consultation with UK Sport and the British Paralympic Association.”
On Thursday, Dorries and sports minister Nigel Huddleston are to host a virtual summit with international ministerial counterparts aiming to mobilise more support to isolate Russia from the global sporting arena.
Unfortunately the IPC has put athletes in a very difficult spot now. Because of the decision the IPC made I think there will be a lot of boycotts.
Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete under the Paralympic flag, and their medals will not count towards the overall table.
The IPC on Wednesday said it would hold an extraordinary general assembly this year to vote on whether to make compliance with the Olympic Truce a membership requirement, and whether to suspend or terminate the membership of the Russian and Belarus Paralympic Committees.
However, the IPC’s president Andrew Parsons said that, in reaching its decision for the Beijing Games, his organisation had been obliged to follow its rules as they are written now.
Ukrainian athletes reacted with dismay to the IPC decision, and in a joint statement with reform group Global Athlete, said: “As Russian and Belarusian bombs rain down on Ukrainian citizens, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today issued another blow to every Ukrainian athlete and citizen by allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games.
“The IPC and sport cannot stop the violence, but they could have sent a message that Russian and Belarusian action warrant the toughest sanctions and complete isolation.”
Meanwhile, Everton on Wednesday announced they had suspended all commercial sponsorship arrangements with the Russian companies USM, Megafon and Yota, which have links to Uzbek-born businessman Alisher Usmanov, and the Premier League announced a show of support for the people of Ukraine at all matches this weekend, including captains wearing armbands in Ukrainian colours.
Former Ukraine striker and manager Andriy Shevchenko called for an end to the war in his homeland, telling Sky Sports: “There are terrible things happening…people dying, children dying, missiles pointing in our houses. We need to find a way to stop the war.”
The ex-Chelsea player revealed his mother and sister were in the capital Kyiv and said: “I tried many times (to persuade them to leave). But the answer is no. They want to stay there. This is the Ukrainian spirit.”
World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has taken up arms to protect Kyiv from invading Russian forces, and he told CNN: “Maybe, it’ll sound sentimental but my soul belongs to the Lord and my body and my honour belong to my country, to my family. So there is no fear, absolutely no fear. There’s just bafflement – how could this be in the 21st century?”
Meanwhile, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir – both former world heavyweight boxing champions – have called for more support from allies to defend Ukraine.
In a joint interview on BBC News, Vitali said: “Everyone has to be involved. It’s war not against Ukraine, it’s war against (all) civilians and it’s war against democracy. We need support – support from the whole world.”
