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Organizers of theBeijing Paralympicsannounced they would ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the games amidRussia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
IPC President Andrew Parsons revealed that the organization did not anticipate the threat of a boycott of the games due to the organization’s earlier decision, according toUSA Today.
“It was a very rapid escalation which we did not think was going to happen,” he said on Thursday. “We did not think that entire delegations, or even teams within delegations, will withdraw, will boycott, will not participate.”
Parsons also shared that tensions in the Olympic Village were high as athletes considered bowing out of the games before Friday’sOpening Ceremony.
“We don’t have reports of any specific incidents of aggression or anything like that,” Parsons said. “But it was a very, very volatile environment in the Village.
“That threatens the viability of this event. So that’s a huge change,” IPC spokesman Craig Spence added. “The atmosphere in the Village is not pleasant.”
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Earlier this week, The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee — as well as the Canadian and British Paralympic committees — have called for athletes from Russia and Belarus to be banned from the Paralympics amid the invasion.
“As the world watches in horror while Russia brazenly attacks the innocent people and athletes of Ukraine, this is the only acceptable action to be taken until peace is restored,” the USOPC said in astatementat the time.
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Parsons said he anticipates legal action from the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic committees due to the ban.
“We do believe that the Russian Paralympic Committee and the Belarussian Paralympic Committee may take legal action,” Parsons said. “But the facts that we express here led us to understand that this was the right decision to be taking.”
“[Russian athletes] have not done anything which could be interpreted as being involved in the current political complications,” the Russian Paralympic Committee said in response to the decision, according toUSA Today.
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Russiabegan its invasion of Ukrainelast week, according to the Ukraine government. The attack is still evolving, but explosions and airstrikes have been reported. The invasion has resulted in the deaths ofhundreds of citizens, with at least 150,000 Ukrainians fleeing the country for safety, according to theAssociated Press.
source: people.com
