International Paralympic Committee lifts restrictions against Belarus, Russia
September 27, Pozirk. The International Paralympic Committee members have voted not to maintain the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees (NPC) of Belarus and Russia, introduced in 2023.
The decision on Belarus was taken after 119 IPC members voted to lift restrictions, with 48 in favor and nine abstentions.
“This decision means NPC Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership, in accordance with the IPC Constitution,” says a statement by the IPC General Assembly that met in Seoul, South Korea.
The IPC added that it will work with Minsk and Moscow to restore all formal membership procedures.
Belarus and Russia did not participate in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing as Moscow launched a full-scale war on Ukraine with Minsk’s support earlier that year.
Eight Belarusian swimmers were allowed to compete as neutrals in the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.
