March 06, (THEWILL) – Athletes from Russia and Belarus competing as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics will not be allowed to participate in the opening or closing ceremonies, according to guidelines issued by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), on Wednesday. The move comes as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which led to the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees (NPCs).
While neutral athletes from the two countries can compete, provided they have not shown support for the war, the IPC has imposed strict limitations. “As the athletes will participate in an individual and neutral capacity, they will not march in the opening ceremony on 28 August or have a flag bearer at the closing ceremony on September 8,” the IPC stated in a press release.
Furthermore, any display of nationality, such as symbols or anthems, will be prohibited for medal-winning athletes. Instead, the neutral flag – white with black lettering spelling out NPA (Neutral Paralympic Athletes) – will be raised, and the Paralympic anthem will be played in the stadium. Podium results for these athletes will not be recorded on the official medals table.
The Russian Paralympic Committee, which may send as many as 125 athletes, has criticised the guidelines as “discriminatory”. In a statement, they argued, “To deny athletes the right to demonstrate that they come from a certain country or to celebrate victory when their country’s anthem is played is to deny them the right to a national identity. This is unfair to Russian athletes and puts them at a disadvantage compared to athletes from other countries.”
When contacted by AFP, the International Olympic Committee stated that it will announce “in due course” whether similar guidelines will be applied to Russian athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
