MANAMA, Bahrain – Russia has managed to avoid a full ban from the 2024 Paralympics in Paris as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) members voted against suspending the country’s membership. The IPC announced on social media that members voted 74-65 against a motion to fully suspend Russia for breaches of its constitutional membership obligations, with thirteen members abstaining.
However, Russia may still face a partial suspension. Another vote is scheduled to determine whether Russia can send competitors to the Paralympics, with the condition that they compete as neutral athletes without national symbols. Similar votes are also planned for Russia’s ally Belarus.
In March 2022, athletes from Russia and Belarus were excluded from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The IPC initially aimed to include them as neutral athletes but reversed course when other countries threatened to boycott, citing concerns about the security situation in the athletes village.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in favor of letting Russians and Belarusians compete as neutral athletes in international sports events as long as they are not in the military and have not publicly supported the war. The IOC has not yet made a decision regarding the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Paris Olympics.
