Volodymyr Zelensky fumed at the Winter Paralympics’ decision to allow six Russian and four Belarusian athletes to compete under their countries’ flags at the upcoming Games, describing it as « dirty ». The Ukrainian leader had been unaware of the breaking news until informed by Piers Morgan during an interview.
Both countries were suspended from Paralympic competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus a close ally of Russia. The following year, athletes were allowed to compete again under a neutral flag and now a total of 10 athletes have been awarded bipartite commission invitations to perform at the Games and accrue ranking points.
Bipartite commission invites are given to individual athletes, as opposed to international federations, and allow the participation of elite athletes « who may not have had the opportunity to qualify through other methods due to extraordinary circumstances. »
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But it is a decision that has proven controversial, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy among those to criticise the International Paralympic Committee’s call.
Ukrainian President Zelensky was told while conducting an interview with Piers Morgan, as the YouTube host said: « I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but this morning Winter Paralympics announced that Russian and Belarusian competitors will be allowed to perform under the flag of their country, which is obviously not the case in other sporting competitions since the war began. What is your reaction to that decision? »
Zelensky shook his head and replied: « I don’t want to say that it’s about money, because I don’t know, but it’s dirty decisions absolutely. Not respectable and not European, from the point of values. I think this is an awful decision absolutely and not a just decision.
« We will react, I didn’t know about it, thank you for saying it to me, but I didn’t know about it. It’s the Russian way of life, how they began this aggression. Creeping, creeping, creeping occupation. A little bit in Crimea, nobody answered, nobody gave a key, OK.
« Donbas, nobody is answering, nobody is putting sanctions? OK, full-scale invasion. Step by step, the Russian way of life. The same with the Olympic Games. »
Ukraine’s Sport Minister echoed Zelensky’s sentiments, declaring the decision « both disappointing and outrageous » in a statement.
UK Culture Secretary Nandy described it as « completely the wrong decision ».
On X, she wrote: « Allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their own flags while the brutal invasion of Ukraine continues sends a terrible message. »
Russian news outlets are reporting that among those set to compete at the Winter Paralympics are alpine skier Aleksey Begaev, a three-time champion, and cross-country skiers Ivan Golubkov and Anastasiia Bagiian.
Ukraine has also been awarded bipartite slots in three sports.
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