On the occasion of its General Assembly meeting this week in Manama (Bahrain), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) declared itself in favor of the participation of Russian and Belarusian para-athletes under a neutral banner and on an individual basis for the Games of Paris 2024. A decision which could foreshadow the future choice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, and Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, on the occasion of Paralympic Day organized in Paris, October 8, 2022 (Credits – Paris 2024)
Discussions, votes and a formal decision.
During the day of Friday September 29, 2023, and in a sensitive context due to the conflict in Ukraine, the members of the IPC gathered for the General Assembly of the institution in Bonn (Germany) had to consider the question of a possible suspension of the National Paralympic Committees (NPC) of Russia and Belarus, while examining the conditions that could make it possible to consider participation of Russian and Belarusian competitors in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
At the end of the debates, the IPC has chosen an intermediate orientationwith not a total suspension of the two aforementioned entities as could have been enacted, but a partial suspension until 2025.
The members of the IPC thus voted against motions aimed at completely suspending the CNP of Russia and that of Belarus, respectively by 74 votes against 65 and 13 abstentions for the first, and by 74 votes against 56 and 15 abstentions for the second .
The main repercussion of adopting such motions would have been to deprive the para-athletes concerned of all international competitions, starting of course with the Summer Paralympic Games which will take place in France from August 28 to September 8, 2024.
Also, the IPC wanted to demonstrate a certain openness, by voting on motions governing a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus.
Concretely, the voting members expressed themselves by 90 votes against 56 and 6 abstentions for a suspension of this scale with regard to the CNP of Russia, and by 79 votes against 57 and 9 abstentions for a similar sanction for the CNP of Belarus .
The rights of the two bodies are therefore suspended for two years, subject however to a re-evaluation at the next General Assembly of the Paralympic institution.
This decision therefore confirms the fact that para-athletes appearing on the lists of the two NPCs remain eligible for participation in major events such as the Paralympic Games, the World Championships and continental meetings, in addition to competitions in which the IPC acts as organizing authority.
However, the IPC has clarified the framework for this participation which – like what the IOC could adopt – is based on a presence under a neutral banner and on an individual basis, excluding in fact para-athletes competing in teams.
As expressed by Andrew Parsons, President of the IPC, aware that the choice of institution will necessarily be discussed and commented:
To make its decision, the IPC General Assembly received reports from the IPC, the CNP of Russia and the CNP of Belarus, before a lengthy discussion took place. This was an opportunity for IPC members to share their views on this subject.
As this is a decision taken by the General Assembly, I expect all IPC members to fully respect it.
With the decision now behind us, I hope that, in the build-up to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, we can now focus more on the sport and the performance of para-athletes.
Paralympic agitos (Credits – Paralympics)
The IPC’s position comes as the IOC – keen to maintain control of the clocks – has yet to make a decision.
If the National Olympic Committees of Russia and Belarus have not received their invitation to take part in the Paris 2024 Games, the presence of athletes from the two countries seems today to be the most likely option, although that discussions are still necessary to decide on an adequate plan.
Last March, the IOC Executive Commission opened the door in this regard.
As she then explained:
The Olympic Games [peuvent] prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they solve all the political and social problems of our world. This is a matter of politics.
On the other hand, the Games can set an example of a world where everyone follows the same rules and respects each other. They encourage us to solve problems that arise by building bridges between people to better understand each other. They can open the way to dialogue and the construction of peace, which neither exclusion nor division allows..
The governing body had at the same time issued a series of six recommendations towards International Federations and organizers of sporting events, distinguishing in particular between athletes individually or in teams, as well as the engagement or not of said athletes in the war in Ukraine.
This real balancing act therefore led to the possibility of seeing neutral individual athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport compete, to the exclusion of competitors who took an active part in the conflict or were under contract with the army or security agencies in Russia or Belarus.
Beyond just athletes, the recommendations were also adopted for support staff, according to the same criteria.
In addition, the IOC Executive Board also indicated that neutral individual athletes would have to – to participate in major events – meet all anti-doping requirements, with Russia remaining under the watchful eye of international bodies since revelations surrounding the doping scandal organized ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.
The Lausanne institution had also taken care to specify that the sanctions taken against the Russian and Belarusian government authorities remained in force, with in addition the absence of a world sporting event supervised by International Federations in Russia or Belarus. , as is the absence of flag, anthem, colors or other identifications with these two countries.
