Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals at next year's Paris Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee voted against maintaining a full ban of the two countries, imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. - REUTERS
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00:00 Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals at next year's Paris Paralympics.
00:07 That's after the International Paralympic Committee, the IPC, voted against maintaining
00:12 a full ban of the two countries imposed after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
00:19 Competing under the neutral banner means going without a national team or emblems, flags
00:23 and anthems.
00:25 The move was criticized by a Ukrainian official on social media, who said the decision would
00:29 only embolden Russia.
00:31 The international athletes-led global athlete movement also expressed disappointment.
00:36 It had wanted the IPC ban on Russia to continue in Paris.
00:41 The International Olympic Committee, the IOC, will make its decision on whether Russia and
00:46 Belarus will be allowed to compete in Paris in about two weeks.
00:51 The IOC has not sanctioned the Russian or Belarus Olympic Committee or Russian members
00:55 of the IOC, but did ban athletes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow
01:01 calls a "special military operation."
01:05 In March, the IOC issued a set of recommendations for international sports federations to allow
01:11 Russian and Belarusian athletes to return.
01:14 The IOC has said athletes should not be punished for the actions of governments.
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