Statement on the International Paralympic Committee’s announcement of 27 September 2025 on the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees
|
We, as Ministers and equivalent senior representatives for sport of
our like-minded countries as well as the European Commission, have
noted the announcement by the International Paralympic Committee
(IPC) of 27 September 2025 that IPC member organisations have voted
not to maintain the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic
Committees of Belarus and Russia. We fully respect and recognise
the independence and autonomy of sports organisations, and that
this was a vote...Request free trial
We, as Ministers and equivalent senior representatives for sport of our like-minded countries as well as the European Commission, have noted the announcement by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) of 27 September 2025 that IPC member organisations have voted not to maintain the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees of Belarus and Russia. We fully respect and recognise the independence and autonomy of sports organisations, and that this was a vote by the IPC membership. We also maintain a strong belief in the unifying spirit of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. However, we view this development with serious concern, given that the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues and the Russian and Belarusian breaches of the Olympic Charter remain. Indeed, we recall that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and IPC sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian Olympic and Paralympic Committees stemmed from the violation of the Olympic Truce, through Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine facilitated by Belarus, launched on 24 February 2022 while the Truce was still in effect. We note that the IOC in contrast announced on 19 September 2025 that they will be maintaining their stance of ensuring no Russian or Belarusian state representation at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. We welcome the IOC's announcement and their maintenance of their suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee for breaches of the Olympic Charter, including its violation of the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine. We also note the IPC's update of 23 October that in practice no Russian or Belarusian athletes are now likely to qualify for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. We call upon the IPC to clarify what the decision of their members will mean for paralympic sports events beyond the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, and for those areas under the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied. We also call upon individual International Federations to continue to follow the IOC stance to ensure no Russian or Belarusian state representation in their sports. Signed by:
|