A screenshot of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s statement on lifting the partial suspension of Russia and Belarus

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced Saturday that it has lifted the partial suspension of Russia and Belarus, following a decision at its General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea.

Having both been partially suspended at the 2023 IPC General Assembly for "breaches of their constitutional membership obligations," this decision means National Paralympic Committee Belarus and National Paralympic Committee Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership, in accordance with the IPC Constitution. The IPC will work with the two members involved to put practical arrangements in place for this as soon as reasonably possible, IPC said in a release published on its official website.

This decision opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year, according to an AFP report. It also noted that the decision on which nations compete in the six sports on the winter program is governed by the international sports federations that have so far maintained a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the move in a statement on Saturday, saying that it is a "fair" decision. It also noted that this is an important contribution to the development of the international Paralympic movement and an example that the rights of athletes must be protected without discrimination on national or political grounds.

The IPC's announcement followed an International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision on September 19th that allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC release said "Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) who have qualified through their International Federations' (IF) existing systems will be able to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games under the same conditions as at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. During its meeting in Milan, the IOC Executive Board (EB) considered the experience from Paris, where 32 athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports from 10 different sports participated without any incidents on or off the field of play."

Global Times