Security walk by a billboard for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics during a snowfall on January 20, 2022 in Beijing, China.
Security walk by a billboard for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics during a snowfall on January 20, 2022 in Beijing, China.Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
  • Russia and Belarus have been banned from the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games.
  • On March 2, the IPC released a statement saying the athletes would be allowed to compete under neutral banners.
  • The organization then reversed its decision in a statement on March 3.

Russia and Belarus are out of the 2022 Beijing Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) reversed its initial decision to let the two nations compete under neutral banners. 

Paralympic athletes representing the two countries were initially allowed to "participate as neutrals" at the Beijing Games, per a March 2 decision by the IPC. According to the IPC's statement, athletes would compete under the Paralympic flag and not be added to any medal standings.

In its statement, the IPC said it will "not hold any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice."

A day later, the organization reversed its decision. In a March 3 statement, the IPC said it would decline athlete entries from Russia and Belarus for the Beijing Games following a special meeting. 

"This means that Para athletes from these respective countries will no longer be allowed to participate in the Games which open on 4 March 2022," read the statement.

IPC President Andrew Parsons said during a press conference on Thursday: "In taking our decision yesterday we were looking at the long-term health and survival of the Paralympic Movement. We are fiercely proud of the principles and values that have made the Movement what it is today."

"However, what is clear is that the rapidly escalating situation has now put us in a unique and impossible position so close to the start of the Games," Parsons added. He said multiple athletes have threatened not to compete in the Beijing Games if the IPC did not reconsider its March 2 decision.

"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," Parsons added. 

"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," he said. 

The IPC's decision follows a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee, the Olympics' governing body, to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events.

Other sporting organizations, like the International Skating Union, have barred Russian athletes from competing internationally in tournaments. FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian teams from competing until further notice, as did the FIVB, volleyball's governing body.

The IPC did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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