"Shameful decision": Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reacts to return of Russians and Belarusians to Paralympics

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has condemned the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to reinstate the membership of the Paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus.

Source: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on X (Twitter)

Quote: "Ukraine considers the decision of the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in Seoul shameful, as it chose not to extend the partial suspension of the national Paralympic committees of Belarus and the Russian Federation."

Details: The ministry pointed out that restrictions, including against the Russian Paralympic Committee, had been in force since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Quote: "The Russian invasion continues, as do Russian atrocities against Ukrainians, yet for some reason the IPC General Assembly has decided to change its stance. In reality, the only thing that has changed is that IPC officials seem to have lost the remnants of their conscience."

Details: The ministry stressed that the IPC’s change of position comes against the backdrop of Russia’s refusal to make peace and the escalation of terror against Ukrainians and provocations against other European countries.

They also added that such a stance "encourages Russian aggression, terror and killings, and fosters impunity for the Russian and Belarusian regimes at a time when the entire international community is working to increase pressure on Moscow to force it towards peace".

Quote: "The IPC’s decision draws international sport into politics and war propaganda, as Moscow has used sport as a propaganda tool since Soviet times. Well-known Russian and Belarusian coaches and athletes openly express support for Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and take part in the propaganda activities of the Putin regime. Many ‘Paralympians’ from Russia and Belarus have directly participated in the bloody war against the Ukrainian people, earning notoriety for their ‘heroism’ and cruelty."

Background: On 27 September at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly in Seoul, IPC member organisations voted against maintaining the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees (NPC) of Belarus and Russia.

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