CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, ITALY – International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons defended the readmission of Russian and Belarusian athletes Thursday, calling it a democratic outcome just before the Winter Paralympics opening, despite backlash and Middle East conflict disruptions.
A combined 10 athletes from the nations, banned since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, will compete in skiing and snowboarding after a September IPC general assembly vote reinstated them, upheld by a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
Parsons acknowledged global discontent, with several countries boycotting Friday’s opening parade at Verona’s Roman arena in Ukraine solidarity. “We cannot pick and choose when to be democratic,” he stressed at a press conference. “177 of 211 members voted per our constitution.”
The Games, featuring a record 612 athletes from 56 delegations through March 15, face added strain from the U.S.-Israeli Iran campaign impacting travel. The IPC is monitoring effects on participants and the broader movement.