“The results of the talks will be announced on Wednesday evening local time,” the Paralympic Committee said. So far, about 650 athletes from 49 countries, including Russia and Belarus, are expected to take part in the Paralympic Games in China from March 4 to 13. However, the fate of these expeditions is uncertain due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus supports.
On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on all international sports federations and other organizers not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials to participate in international competitions. However, he acknowledged that in exceptional cases where complete exclusion was not possible for organizational or legal reasons, they could race under a neutral flag. Russian athletes would expect this at the Paralympics, regardless of Wednesday’s decision, because they are behind state-controlled doping.
After the attack on Ukraine, the IOC criticized Russia for violating the so-called Olympic Truce, which should end seven days after the end of the Paralympics.
