MUNICH: The International Paralympic Committee decided on Saturday to lift a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This decision, taken at the IPC's general assembly meeting in Seoul, opens the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their own flags at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics next year.
However, the decision on which nations compete in the six sports on the winter programme is governed by the international sports federations that have so far maintained a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
"This decision means NPC (National Paralympic Committee) Belarus and NPC Russia now regain their full rights and privileges of IPC membership," the IPC said in a statement.
It added: "The IPC will work with the two members involved to put practical arrangements in place for this as soon as reasonably possible."
The Russian Paralympic Committee welcomed the move, calling it "a fair decision" and "an example of how athletes' rights should be protected without discrimination on national or political grounds."
To be eligible, each athlete must have an active licence for the 2025/26 season from their international federations for para Alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing, para snowboarding, para biathlon, para ice hockey and wheelchair curling.
The partial suspension was adopted by the IPC General Assembly in 2023.
However some Russian and Belarusian athletes were permitted to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris under a neutral flag and strict neutrality conditions.
The IPC had excluded the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The IPC's latest decision comes eight days after the International Olympic Committee authorised the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, providing they compete under a neutral flag and meet neutrality conditions.