Winter Olympic host Italy has called on Italy to reverse a decision to allow 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance over four years of attacks on Ukraine, saying it was against the Olympic spirit.
The Italian government expressed its “absolute opposition” to the IPC’s ruling in September, saying in a statement that Rome’s position echoes that of 33 other countries and the European Commission.
“Russia’s violation of the treaty and the violation of Olympic and Paralympic ideals, supported by Belarus, is contrary to the participation of their athletes in the Games, except for neutral individual athletes,” the statement said.
Russia’s embassy in Italy says targeting disabled athletes is unacceptable. “The tough and diplomatic stance taken by the two Italian politicians, backed by the authority of the government they represent, is offensive and deserves widespread condemnation,” the telegram said.
According to the Olympics media site, a press conference scheduled for Friday by IPC president Andrew Parsons has been canceled. No explanation was given.
Russia and its ally Belarus were banned from Paralympic competition after the 2022 invasion, but regained full rights in the IPC in a member vote last year.
The international federations for every sport on the Paralympic Games program said they would maintain the ban on those countries’ athletes, but Russia and Belarus won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
At the current Winter Games, a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes are competing as neutral independents without flags or anthems, with both countries’ Olympic committees still sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
Ukraine has said it will not send officials to the Paralympics, which begin on March 6.
