Paralympics Ireland has called for the athletes of Russia and Belarus to be excluded from the Winter Paralympic Games due to start in Beijing this week.
The Governing Board of the International Paralympic Committee will meet in China today to discuss Russia’s assisted invasion of Ukraine and to determine if they should follow the path of other bodies including the IOC, FIFA, UEFA and World Athletics in imposing an immediate and blanket ban on competition.
“The actions of the Russian military in their attack on Ukraine with the support of their allies in Belarus, and their violation of the Olympic Truce, which is in place until March 20th, 2022, are unacceptable,” said a statement from Paralympics Ireland issued last night.
“We call upon the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to strongly consider excluding athletes from Russia and Belarus from the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing and any other international Paralympic events until this situation has been resolved.”
“The Ukrainian swim team were a popular and successful nation that competed at the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships in Dublin in 2018. During that time, they conducted themselves with courtesy and utmost professionalism both in and out of the pool. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian National Paralympic Committee at this time.”
“Paralympics Ireland hopes that a peaceful solution to the situation can be reached, and that sport can be a channel for peace in the future.”
The Olympic Federation of Ireland also last night welcomed the recent decisive action taken by the International Olympic Committee in banning athletes but also called for them to consider the further step of an outright ban of the Russian and Belarussian National Olympic Committees.
“The values of the Olympic movement are intrinsically linked with peace and understanding between the peoples of the world,” said Olympic Federation President Sarah Keane.
“Our thoughts at this difficult time are with the people of Ukraine, including their athletes and all within the Olympic family. In response to this breach of the Olympic truce, we have requested that the IOC consider the further step of banning the National Olympic Committees of Russia and Belarus.”
World Athletics, FIBA in Basketball and the International Skating Union became the latest countries to join the collective turning away from allowing Russia any positive contact with the world yesterday.
Tennis also banned both countries from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean Cups but failed to read the prevailing mood by allowing individual Russian players including World Number One Daniil Medvedev continue to compete.
Sport for Business Perspective:
Sport has grown so much in the past two decades that it no longer has the luxury of considering itself outside the world of geopolitics and economics. The idea of sport as a healing force is one that holds some merit but healing is about medicine as well and the increased soft power that sport now has as perhaps the largest single global gathering point needs to be used where it can prevent war and humanitarian breaches like we are seeing.
In the short term, this is an obvious and important choice for sporting bodies and fans to be part of. In the longer term, it will raise questions again about the sporting caravan landing in countries that have not outright declared a war state but whose practices might not match up to international norms of decency.
That will be a tougher call.
