PARIS: The International Paralympic Comm­ittee (IPC) announced on Monday that 88 Russian competitors will take part under a neutral banner at the Paris Paralympics.

The Games, which get underway on Wednesday, will also feature eight Belarusians competing as neutrals, IPC spokesman Craig Spence told a press conference.

Para-athletes from Russia and ally Belarus must compete under a neutral banner after being largely banned from world sport following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The IPC, along with world sporting federations, has overseen their gradual return as neutral participants in the Paralympics under strict conditions.

To be invited to compete, individuals who achieved good enough results to qualify had to pass a double check process.

A third-party agency, employed by the IPC, was tasked with verifying that the potential competitors did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their countries’ militaries.

A similar process was employed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Olympic Games earlier this summer, during which 32 neutral athletes from both countries competed.

A notable difference between the Paralympics and Olympics is the decision of World Para Athletics to allow Russian and Belarusian competitors to participate in para-athletics events, which was not the case for their compatriots at the Olympics.

Paralympians from Russia and Belarus will, however, not be permitted to take part in Wednesday’s opening ceremony in central Paris.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024