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Russian Athletes Get Go-Ahead to Compete as Neutrals at Paralympics

They’ll have to compete under a neutral flag and their medals won’t be added to the table.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to take part in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing this month—but they won’t represent their countries and their medals won’t count on the overall table. The International Paralympic Committee made its announcement early Wednesday morning, two days before the Opening Ceremony. “The RPC and NPC Belarus will participate as neutrals at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games,” the IPC said in a statement. “They will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table.” On Monday, the International Olympic Committee called on the governing bodies of all sports to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competition, but it said they could compete as neutral athletes if time or legal constraints prevented them from being removed.