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Ukrainian athletes slammed the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Wednesday after it announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing this month as “neutral” participants.
The Athletes of Ukraine and Global Athlete issued a joint statement calling out the IPC for its decision not to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, arguing that regardless of their “neutral label,” their presence will allow those countries to use the Games “as state propaganda.”
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“As Russian and Belarusian bombs rain down on the 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 Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games,” the statement read.
“The IPC claims they are acting by forcing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. But the Russian flag was already prohibited from the Paralympics as punishment for a decade of state-sponsored doping and data manipulation.”
Team Ukraine enter the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
It continued: “With or without a neutral label, Russian and Belarusian authorities will use their athletes’ participation in these Games as state propaganda.”
The IPC announced earlier that Russia, whose athletes compete under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and Belarus will not have athletes compete under their flag but rather as “neutrals.” They will also not be included in the official medal table.
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“IPC [will] host extraordinary General Assembly in 2022 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 Paralympic Committee and Belarus Paralympic Committee,” the statement added. “IPC will not hold any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice.”
Flag bearers Oleksandr Abramenko and Oleksandra Nazarova of Team Ukraine lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022 in Beijing, China. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
The Athletes of Ukraine also took aim at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), claiming that both organizations continued to “choose politics over principle.”
“Today’s decision from the IPC provides another example of the stranglehold the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has over the IPC. The IOC influenced the IPC decision to allow Russia back from institutional doping, and has influenced today’s decision as well,” the statement read. “On Monday, the IOC failed to suspend the Russian and Belrarusian National Olympic committees. Today the IPC does the same. Both the IOC and IPC continued to choose politics over principle and Russian interests over athletes’ interest.”
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Olympics, bobsleigh, monobob, women, 3rd heat, at the National Sliding Centre, Lidija Gunko of Ukraine in action. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The IOC Executive Board recommended that sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes on Monday, adding that should they compete, they cannot do so under their respective countries’ flags.
“The demands of athletes have been cast aside in favor of Russian interests,” the Athletes of Ukraine said in its statement. “Sport administrators are choosing bloodshed and profits over principle and stakeholders.”
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