The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) changed on Thursday its initial decision and banned competitors from Russia and Belarus from participating in the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.
IPC President Andrew Parsons stated the institution reconsidered its original call after receiving complaints from many national Paralympic committees (NPC), which threatened they will not compete in Beijing if Russia and Belarus do. He went on to apologize to the athletes from those two countries while stressing that "you are victims of your governments' actions."
Initially, the IPC decided to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2022 Winter Paralympics as neutrals.