Paralympics Paris 2024: Russian athletes set to compete as neutral after IPC votes against full ban

Russian athletes will be able to compete at next year's Paris Paralympics, but only as neutral athletes after the International Paralympic Committee members voted against a full ban on Friday.

The decision clears the way for Russian athletes, who are currently banned from any Paralympic competition, to be in Paris and the IPC have decided they will compete as neutrals, without national emblems, flags or anthem.

Any Russian/Belarussian athlete must also not break the IPC Code of Conduct. If they back the war in Ukraine or show support, Sky Sports understands that would represent a breach of the code.

"At the IPC General Assembly in Bahrain, IPC members voted 74-65 (13 abstentions) against a motion to fully suspend NPC (National Paralympic Committee) Russia for breaches of its constitutional membership obligations," the IPC said.

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The decision comes two weeks before the International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai where it will also discuss Russia's and Belarus' participation at the Paris Olympics next year.

The IPC had last year suspended the paralympic committees of both countries and banned their athletes from competing following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Belarus has acted as a staging ground for Russian troops and weapons.

Although an appeal against the suspension of the committees was upheld this year, Russian and Belarusian para-athletes remain banned from competitions to this day.

The IOC has not sanctioned the Russian or Belarus Olympic Committee or Russian members of the IOC. It did ban athletes following last year's invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a special military operation.

In March, however, it issued a first set of recommendations for international sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return.

The IOC has said athletes should not be punished for actions of governments.