The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Saturday, September 27, 2025, its decision to remove the partial suspension imposed on Russia and Belarus. This suspension was initially enacted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The ruling, made during the IPC’s general assembly meeting in Seoul, now allows Russian and Belarusian Paralympic athletes to compete under their respective national flags at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. This is a notable change from the previous mandate.
However, a crucial point remains: participation in the six specific sports on the Paralympic program is still subject to the decisions of their individual international federations. These federations have, to date, maintained their bans on athletes from both nations.
For an athlete to be deemed eligible, they must hold an active license for the 2025/26 season from their respective international federations for disciplines such as para Alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing, para snowboarding, para biathlon, para ice hockey, and wheelchair curling. Currently, these federations still maintain their suspensions against Russian and Belarusian competitors.
The previous partial suspension, enacted by the IPC General Assembly in 2023, permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, but only under a neutral flag and strict conditions of neutrality. Notably, the IPC had completely barred the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees from the Beijing 2022 Games.
This latest IPC decision comes just eight days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also granted permission for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, similarly under a neutral flag and stringent neutrality requirements.