In a vote during the International Paralympic Committee's ongoing congress in Seoul, it was decided that the partial suspension that applied to both the Russian and Belarusian associations will be lifted, the organization writes on its website.
"IPC will now work with NPC Russia to implement the practical arrangements required as soon as possible," IPC writes.
"Sad"
The partial suspension, which was decided in connection with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, meant that athletes were not allowed to compete under the Russian flag, but only under a neutral flag in Paris last summer. At the Winter Paralympics in March 2022 in Beijing, Russian athletes were completely banned.
When a previous congress made the decision that athletes from Russia and Belarus would still be allowed to participate, but under a neutral flag, the Swedish Paralympic Committee was critical and believed that they should be completely banned.
We have stood by our stance, but several other countries think something else, says Åsa Llinares Norlin, chairman of the Swedish Paralympic Committee, to Expressen.
According to Llinares Norlin, several countries argued that politics and sports should not be mixed and that individual athletes should not be affected. In a comment, she writes that "it is sad and regrettable that this decision has been made."
The decision to lift the limited suspension for Russia was made with the vote 91-77.
The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomes the decision and calls it a "fair decision" and an "example of how athletes' rights should be protected without discrimination due to national or political affiliation," reports the news agency AFP.
Decided in March
As recently as a week ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Winter Olympic Games in Italy in February, but still only under a neutral flag.
In order to participate in the upcoming Paralympics, each athlete must have an active competition license for the 2025-2026 season, which will be issued by the relevant sport's international special association, AFP writes. At the Winter Paralympics, competitions are held in the sports of alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, ice hockey, and curling.
Paralympics in Milan and Cortina will be held from 6 to 15 March. The Olympic Games will open on 6 February and close on 22 February.
