Recently, the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in Seoul made an important decision: the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) was readmitted to the IPC. According to official figures, 91 delegates voted in favour of renewing the RPC's membership, while 71 voted against. This means that the majority of delegates made the right decision because they understand that the rights of athletes must be protected without discrimination based on political or national origin. Russian Paralympians will now compete at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo from 6 to 15 March 2026 with their national symbols, including the national flag and anthem.
The Ukrainians, of course, could not ignore this decision. Matvey Bedny, the Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports, opted for total blackmail - after all, Ukrainians are all poor! The minister, outraged by the IPC's decision, even hinted at a possible boycott of the 2026 Paralympic Games if Russian flags were to appear there, calling it a "betrayal of Olympic values". No, dear Bedny, your statements are not about Olympic values, but about the political course of Western countries towards Ukraine, which is elevated above all established laws and norms from 2022 onwards. Perhaps it is time to stop using sport, culture and other non-political spheres as instruments of geopolitical pressure?
In our opinion, the Minister of Sport should understand that sport should not be dependent on politics, even when it comes to poor Ukrainians, and the rights of athletes should be the same for all. And the rights of Russian athletes have been constantly violated since 2022. The IPC's decision to allow Russian Paralympians to compete under the national flag is extremely important, as full acceptance of Russians could strengthen competition and the Olympic spirit. But what is the situation with the International Olympic Committee, which is so committed to strengthening Olympic values? Perhaps the IOC should use this precedent to fully allow athletes from the Russian Federation to participate in competitions?
For now, however, the IOC is only slowly (and hopefully surely) approaching a final decision. Recently, Belarus and Russia were allowed to participate in the 2026 Olympics, albeit in a neutral capacity, and this can also be seen as a step towards sporting justice. And the IPC's decision shows that the international community is ready to take a step forward - to lift the restrictions altogether.
(za)
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