The International Paralympic Committee has admitted it will have to be “very careful” in deciding on Wednesday whether to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Winter Games.
After it was confirmed that Ukraine’s 20-strong delegation would be travelling to China following uncertainty over their presence at the Games, a decision on Russian involvement will be taken on Wednesday, ahead of the Games beginning this weekend.
The head of the IPC, Andrew Parsons, said any outcome must be based on “our constitution and the values we stand for,” but that “the options in front of us will be limited by legal framework”.
Parsons told the BBC: “Any decision we take is open to legal challenge from different sides. This is what we need to be very careful about because it could be from Russia or from other nations. We need to make a decision based on our constitution and the values we stand for.
“The options that we have in front of us will be, I think, limited by legal framework. We have a competition starting in three days. We need to make a decision that if it’s challenged we are able to defend it and maintain it.”
On Monday the International Olympic Committee issued a resolution calling on all sporting organisations to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competition.
On Tuesday World Athletics responded to the IOC resolution by banning Russian and Belarusian athletes “for the foreseeable future” and with “immediate effect” - meaning none will take part in the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Serbia this month.
The IOC resolution came with an exception, which would allow Russians to compete but as neutral athletes if time or legal constraints prevented their removal. This was created specifically with the Winter Paralympics in mind, given it is due to start within three days. Russian athletes were already set to compete in Beijing under the banner of “Russian Paralympic Committee” or RPC following sanctions taken by the IPC in response to a scandal involving the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
Following the IOC resolution, however, a number of organisations, including ParalympicsGB, called for Russia to be banned from the Games entirely. “Given the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine we cannot see how the participation of Russia or Belarus in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games is compatible with the objectives of the Paralympic movement,” a statement said.
News about the Ukrainian team was confirmed by the National Committee for Sports for the Disabled of Ukraine. “Part of the team is in one place, part is in another,” said spokesperson Natalia Garach. “I hope that today we will unite and get to the airport and go to Beijing together. The team is not in Ukraine. We will not tell where we are. When we come to Beijing, we will tell. I hope that tomorrow, 2 March, we will be in Beijing.”
Ukrainian athletes are to compete at two sports in the Games, biathlon and cross-country skiing.
