The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Youth and Sports have issued a joint statement condemning as “shameful” the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly in Seoul to fully reinstate the national Paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus.
As reported by Ukrinform, the statement was published on the MFA website.
The ministries recalled that restrictions on the Russian Paralympic Committee were imposed at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia’s invasion continues, as do Russia’s atrocities against Ukrainians, but for some reason the IPC General Assembly has decided to change its stance. The only thing that has really changed is that IPC officials have lost the last remnants of their conscience,” the statement reads.
The ministries stressed that this reversal comes as Russia rejects peace, escalates terror against Ukrainians, and provokes other European countries.
“The IPC decision effectively encourages Russian aggression, terror, and killings, and fosters impunity for the Russian and Belarusian regimes at a time when the entire international community is working to increase pressure on Moscow to compel it toward peace,” the statement said.
The ministries further argued that the decision “draws international sport into politics and war propaganda,” recalling that Moscow has used sport as a propaganda tool since Soviet times. They noted that Russian and Belarusian coaches and athletes openly support armed aggression against Ukraine and take part in propaganda events of the Putin regime. Moreover, many Russian and Belarusian Paralympians “directly participated in the bloody war against the Ukrainian people, gaining notoriety for their so-called ‘heroism’ and brutality.”
“We call on the entire sporting world, all states, sports institutions, athletes, and coaches who have not lost their moral compass to condemn this shameful decision and demand its reversal. We urge Italy not to allow Russian flags — under which Ukrainians are being killed today — to appear during competitions,” the ministries said.
They stressed that Russian and Belarusian athletes and their symbols must not return to international sports competitions until Russia ends its genocidal war against Ukraine.
As reported, the IPC General Assembly has fully reinstated the national Paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus.