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Russian and Belarusian athletes were given the all-clear on Wednesday to compete at the upcoming Winter Paralympics, which open this week under the shadow of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged sporting federations across the world to exclude athletes from Russia as well as Belarus, which hosted troops before the invasion.

But on Wednesday the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) held a meeting and posted a brief statement saying athletes from the two countries would be allowed to compete as “neutrals.”

“They will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table,” the committee said.

Much of the sports world has reacted in solidarity with Ukraine.

FIFA kicked Russia out of the 2022 World Cup, while rugby’s world governing body banned Russia and Belarus from all international events “until further notice”. Russian President Vladimir Putin, an accomplished judoka, was also suspended as honorary head of the International Judo Federation.

With its civilian airspace closed, half a million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries and Russian troops closing in on Kyiv, getting Ukraine’s Paralympians to Beijing could be difficult logistically.

IPC president Andrew Parsons had said last week it would be a “mammoth challenge”, declining to comment further for security reasons.

But by late Tuesday, Ukraine’s National Sports Committee for the Disabled confirmed its full team of 20 athletes and nine guides were making their way to the Games.

“I hope that tomorrow, March 2, we will be in Beijing,” said Natalia Garach, communications manager for the team.

The small Eastern European country has punched above its weight in previous Paralympic winter events, with frequent podium finishes in the biathlon and ski events.                – AFP