RUSSIA and Belarus have been banned from the Olympics – after Britain helped force a screeching U-turn.
International Paralympic chiefs had faced a massive international backlash after announcing yesterday athletes from the two nations would be allowed to compete in Beijing this month.
The conditions were that all competitors from Russia and Belarus would have to take part under the neutral Olympic flag while any medals won would not count in the official table.
That forced the British Paralympic association to a rethink with other nations joining in.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries also convened a hastily arranged meeting of Western governments to discuss further sporting sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
And that international pressure has now forced a dramatic change of heart from the International Paralympic Committee which confirmed that Russia and Belarus were no longer allowed to have competitors at the Winter Games.
IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “At the IPC we are very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix. However, by no fault of its own the war has now come to these Games and behind the scenes many Governments are having an influence on our cherished event.
“The IPC is a membership-based organisation, and we are receptive to the views of our member organisations.
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“Yesterday we said we would continue to listen, and that is what we are doing.
“In the last 12 hours an overwhelming number of members have been in touch with us and been very open, for which I am grateful. They have told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is now likely to have grave consequences for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Multiple NPCs, some of which have been contacted by their governments, teams and athletes, are threatening not to compete.
“Ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us and the situation in the athlete villages is escalating and has now become untenable. First and foremost, we have a duty as part of the Paralympic mission, enshrined in the constitution, to guarantee and supervise the organisation of successful Paralympic Games, to ensure that in sport practiced within the Paralympic Movement the spirit of fair play prevails, violence is banned, the health risk of the athletes is managed and fundamental ethical principles are upheld.
“With this in mind, and in order to preserve the integrity of these Games and the safety of all participants, we have decided to refuse the athlete entries from RPC and NPC Belarus.
“To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments’ actions.”
UK’s Security Minister Damian Hinds has welcomed the International Paralympic Committee’s U-turn, saying it is ‘important to send a strong message’.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
