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3w ago

IPC Readmits Russia and Belarus to Full Membership After Seoul Vote

Eligibility for Milan-Cortina hinges on federations that control licenses, many of which still bar Russian and Belarusian entries.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin poses for pictures with Russian Paralympians, medallists from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games following a state awards ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 16, 2024.
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Overview

  • IPC members voted down full and partial suspensions for Russia (111–55; then 91–77) and for Belarus (119–48; then 103–63), restoring both NPCs’ full rights.
  • The decision raises the possibility of national flags returning at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, but participation depends on each sport’s governing body.
  • Russian and Belarusian athletes would need active 2025/26 licenses in para alpine skiing, cross-country, snowboarding, biathlon, ice hockey and wheelchair curling.
  • The IPC said it will work with the reinstated committees to put practical arrangements in place as soon as reasonably possible.
  • Ukraine condemned the move as “shameful” and urged Italy to bar Russian flags, while the IOC noted the decision and continues a neutral-only policy for the 2026 Olympics.