Winter Paralympics: Full Ukraine team set to travel and compete in China, despite invasion by Russia | Olympics News

The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine communicated that their team, made up of 20 athletes and nine guides, would travel to Beijing despite their country being invaded by Russia; Winter Paralympics to begin on Friday

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Following FIFA and UEFA’s ban against Russia, it is still unknown if Russian athletes will be able to compete in the upcoming Paralympics.

The full Ukrainian team will be travelling to China to compete in the Winter
Paralympic Games this month, despite the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The International Paralympic Committee tweeted from its official account on Tuesday to say that the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine had communicated that their team, made up of 20 athletes and nine guides, would travel to Beijing.

The IPC tweet linked to a Ukrainian media article about the team, which mentioned athletes would travel to China from different locations in Ukraine. The athletes will compete in two sports – biathlon and cross-country skiing – the article stated.

The IPC is meeting on Wednesday to discuss the participation of Russian athletes in the Games, which officially open on Friday.

Will Russia and Belarus be allowed to compete in Beijing?

The International Olympic Committee’s executive board recommended on Monday that international sports federations should exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, teams and officials from international competitions wherever possible.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on the sporting world to do more to sever links with Russia as the invasion of Ukraine continues.

The IOC said it made the decision “in order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants”. The body also urged federations to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus would be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus.

The statement from the IOC comes shortly before the Winter Paralympics, which starts in Beijing on Friday.

“Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colours, flags or anthems should be displayed,” the statement added

The IOC also said it had taken the ad hoc decision to withdraw the Olympic Order from all persons who currently have an important function in the government of the Russian Federation, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It said it made the decision based on “the exceptional circumstances of the situation and considering the extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past”.