Russia and Belarus can fly their own flags at the Paralympic Winter Games next year.
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Athletes from Russia and Belarus can resume competing at Paralympic events under their own flags, despite objections from some countries, including Switzerland.
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The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided at its General Assembly in Seoul on Saturday to lift the partial ban on Russia and Belarus that has been in place since the invasion of Ukraine and to readmit the two national committees as full members of the organisation.
During the General Assembly, a clear majority of members initially voted against a complete exclusion of the Russians. In a subsequent vote, the body then lifted the partial suspension by a vote of 91 to 77. The vote on further sanctions against Belarus followed a similar pattern.
Switzerland was in the minority and voted against lifting the sanctions. “From our perspective, the situation has not changed since the suspension,” Christof Baer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Swiss Paralympic, told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
“Accordingly, we still maintain the same stance and oppose the resumption of the national committees of Russia and Belarus.”
This decision paves the way for Russian and Belarusian para-athletes to compete under their respective flags again at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in March 2026.
The disability sports federations of Russia and Belarus will now regain their full rights, the IPC announced. “The IPC will work with both members to make practical arrangements for this as soon as possible,” it said.
Whether Russian participants will actually participate in the Paralympics in Italy remains to be seen. The final decision on admission rests with the respective world governing bodies responsible for the respective sports, which had previously maintained the sanctions.
At the Paralympics in Paris, athletes from Russia and Belarus were only allowed to participate under a neutral flag, and their anthems were not played at the award ceremonies. Russians and Belarusians were not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony.
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Translated from German with DeepL/mga
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