The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has ignited fierce debate and drawn global attention after voting to lift the partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus, reinstating their full rights and privileges as IPC members. The landmark decision, made during the IPC’s general assembly in Seoul, South Korea on September 27, 2025, comes just months before the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics, scheduled for March 6 to 15, 2026. The move marks a dramatic shift in the international sports landscape, raising questions about fairness, inclusion, and the future of the Paralympic movement.
Let’s take a closer look at how it all unfolded. In a series of closely watched ballots, IPC delegates first voted against a full suspension of Russia by 111 to 55, with 11 abstentions, and subsequently rejected a partial suspension by 91 to 77, with 8 abstentions. Belarus faced similar outcomes: 119 to 48 against a full suspension (9 abstentions), and 103 to 63 against a partial suspension (10 abstentions). The result? Both the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) regained their full IPC membership rights, overturning sanctions that had been in place since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was supported by Belarus.
The IPC, in a statement, announced, “This decision means NPC Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership, in accordance with the IPC Constitution. The IPC will work with the two members involved to put practical arrangements in place for this as soon as reasonably possible.” The restoration of rights paves the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to potentially compete under their own flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympics and other World Para-sport events, but the path is far from clear-cut.
Why all the fuss? The decision has split the global sporting community and triggered passionate responses from all sides. Ukraine’s Sports Minister, Matviy Bidnyi, minced no words, declaring, “Those who voted for the decision at the IPC’s general assembly in Seoul had betrayed their conscience and the Olympic values.” Ukraine, which maintains a law prohibiting its national teams from participating in competitions where Russian or Belarusian athletes are present under state symbols or without strict neutrality, now faces a dilemma over whether to send its athletes to Italy. Bidnyi called on European partners, “not to allow the flag of the aggressor state to be raised over the free and democratic space while the war of aggression continues.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the outcome as “a fair decision,” stating, “This is an important contribution to the development of the international Paralympic movement and an example that the rights of athletes must be protected without discrimination on the basis of nationality and political affiliation.” The committee’s press service added, “Athletes’ rights should be protected without discrimination on national or political grounds.”
The IPC’s decision doesn’t automatically mean Russian and Belarusian athletes will be seen hoisting their national flags in Milan or Cortina d’Ampezzo. To be eligible for Paralympic competition, each athlete must hold an active license for the 2025/26 season from their respective international federations in sports such as para Alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing, para snowboarding, para biathlon, para ice hockey, and wheelchair curling. Here’s the catch: many of these federations have not yet reinstated Russian or Belarusian athletes, not even under neutral banners. Marie-Amelie Le Fur, president of the French Paralympic Committee, voiced concerns to AFP, noting, “It may seem short (notice) indeed, since many selection paths are particularly advanced. To date, not all quotas have been filled by the national Paralympic committees. When the quotas are re-established, under the guise of universality, this could also open up quotas for the Russian and Belarusian committees, which have regained their rights.” She concluded, “We must wait for the positions of the international federations and how the final selection process unfolds.”
Historically, the Russian flag hasn’t graced the Paralympic Games since the 2014 Sochi edition. Following a doping scandal, Russia was suspended from Rio 2016, and its athletes competed under neutral banners in Pyeongchang 2018 and Tokyo 2021. The IPC excluded both Russia and Belarus from the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, and a partial suspension was adopted in 2023. Some athletes from both countries did compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, but only under strict neutrality conditions and without national symbols.
The recent IPC vote follows closely on the heels of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics (February 6–22, 2026) as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), mirroring the policy used at the Paris Games. IOC president Kirsty Coventry remarked, “The exact same approach that was done in Paris,” emphasizing that only individual events and strict neutrality would be permitted. The Russian Olympic Committee, meanwhile, remains suspended by the IOC for incorporating regional sports bodies in occupied eastern Ukraine, a move deemed a violation of the Olympic charter.
ParalympicsGB, the British Paralympic body, expressed disappointment but acknowledged the IPC’s democratic process: “We supported the IPC motion to suspend Russia. However, the IPC membership made the decision to reinstate NPC Russia and we have to respect the decision of the IPC membership. We continue to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine and our friends at NPC Ukraine.”
The decision to lift the ban was not taken lightly. Many IPC members reportedly felt that the Paralympic movement’s core value of inclusion was at stake, and that innocent Para-athletes from Russia and Belarus should not be penalized for the actions of their governments. Others argued that, given these countries had not competed as nations since Sochi 2014, the punishment had been sufficient. Notably, the IPC clarified that Russia had not been suspended for the invasion itself, but for using sports events to promote the war in Ukraine, which violates the IPC’s constitution.
As the dust settles, the next few months will be critical. The IPC will work with international federations to clarify eligibility and selection procedures, while national committees, especially Ukraine, weigh their participation. The world will be watching to see how the Milan-Cortina Paralympics unfold—will Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under their own flags, or will the complex web of sport governance, politics, and principle keep them on the sidelines or under neutral banners?
With just months to go before the games begin, the stage is set for a Paralympic showdown that will test not only athletic prowess but the very ideals of global sport. Stay tuned—this story is far from over.
