The International Paralympic Committee has made an unlikely 180 degree turn. He announced Thursday March 3 that Russian and Belarusian athletes would finally not be allowed to take part in the Paralympic Games in Beijing, just hours after having assured the contrary, Wednesday noon.
“After a special meeting, the IPC decided to refuse the participation of athletes from the Russian and Belarusian committees in the Paralympic Games in Beijing”writes the instance in its press release. “The IPC believes that sport and politics should not mix, but whether we like it or not, the echo of war has also reached the Games”she adds.
The IPC Governing Board has decided to refuse the athlete entries from the RPC and NPC Belarus for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. https://t.co/8rE0szi8YE
— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) March 3, 2022
Andrew Parsons, president of the IPC, explains that the change in decision was motivated by the positions of many member countries, who asked the body to reconsider its choice. “IPC is a member-based organization, responsive to their views and opinions. […] In the last 12 hours, many members have contacted us in a very open way. They told us that if we did not reconsider our decision, it would undoubtedly have serious consequences for the Paralympic Games.” Andrew Parsons further claims that several national committees, pushed by their government or their athletes, were threatening not to compete.
“National Olympic Committees wrote to us. They told us: if you don’t exclude the Russians and the Belarusians, nothing will happen. But once the decision was made, they told us that they would leave. The change was very fast”, he said during a press conference held in the early morning (French time) in Beijing. The IPC has therefore decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes “to preserve the integrity of the Games and the safety of all participants”. “It’s the best decision. We’re sorry for the impact on Russian and Belarusian athletes. But that’s what we have to do to keep a safe environment in the Olympic Village.”
Yesterday, the IPC welcomed the arrival of the Ukrainian delegation on Chinese soil. The Russian athletes had already been present for several days on the Games sites, as evidenced by the photos of the Olympic village shared on their social networks.
“We did not hear any echo of aggression, but the atmosphere in the village after our decision was very “volatile”, when we wanted to avoid it. The temperature rose very quickly in the village. This is no place for violence or fighting. We all want to live together”justified Andrew Parsons.
The 83 Russian and Belarusian athletes involved in the Games will therefore have to leave Beijing, on the eve of the opening ceremony which is to be held on Friday at the Bird’s Nest.