The Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics begin on Friday with the opening ceremony, the first time since 2014 that several countries boycotted Russian athletes competing under their national flag in protest.
Despite Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allowed six Russian athletes and four from their ally Belarus to represent their nations, instead of competing as neutrals with their national flags.
Ukraine’s team will not take part in the protest in Verona, and they will be joined by the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
IPC president Andrew Parsons defended the decision by citing a vote taken at the organization’s General Assembly last September, in favor of returning both countries under their respective flags.
He said the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last December paved the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to qualify for the Games.
However, the 49-year-old Brazilian said he was surprised by the response to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
“It surprised me because it was a decision that was made four to five months ago,” Parsons said at a press conference in Cortina on Thursday.
“It has been widely covered by the media. I have given several interviews on this issue. I have briefed media representatives many times.
“Surprised to see it blow up again.”
‘Ceasefire Violation’
France and Britain have refused to send government officials to the ceremony, protesting Russia’s inclusion.
And athletes from countries including Canada, Britain, Germany and France will skip the opening ceremony “to prioritize athletic performance”, IPC communications officer Craig Spence said.
The curtain raiser at the historic Verona Arena will take place away from the competition venues of Cortina, Val di Fimme and Milan, meaning many athletes will not be able to attend before the Games start at 0830 GMT on Saturday.
The IPC said nations had sent 12-second videos of their athletes, which would be “left for the opening ceremony”, but insisted that “about 60 per cent of national Paralympic committees” would send at least two athletes to the parade.
As Russia returns to competition and war breaks out in the Middle East during the Olympic ceasefire, many fear the extraordinary feats and stories of more than 600 athletes may be lost in the 50th anniversary of the Paralympics.
“Any conflict in the world at this time, in the time sphere, is a violation of the Olympic Agreement,” Parsons said Friday. “But one important thing is that breaking the Olympic ceasefire is not a violation of the IPC constitution.
“I think it needs a lot of discussion because this is the third time in four Paralympic Winter Games that a conflict has started between the Olympics and the Paralympics.”
The IPC wants Spence to “focus on athletes who have been training for this moment for four years to show the rest of the world what they are capable of throughout the Paralympic Games”.
The event, which comes hot on the heels of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, will see athletes compete in six different sports spread across three sites in northern Italy until March 15.
Cortina’s Dolomite Ski Resort plays host to more action as it welcomes wheelchair curling, para alpine skiing and para snowboarding.
Milan’s Santagiulia Arena will be the stage for para ice hockey, while the para biathlon and para cross-country skiing events will take place at the Val di Fiemme.
Once the action begins, one star to watch will be British para snowboarder Davy Zive, who will become the first person with motor neurone disease to compete at the Winter Paralympics.
Double Summer Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Parker will make her Winter Games debut when she represents Australia in the biathlon and cross-country events.
El Salvador’s cross-country skier David Chavez will make history at the Val de Fiemme when he becomes the first person from a Central American country to compete in a Winter Games — Olympics or Paralympics.
(With FRANCE 24 AFP)
(tags to translate)Europe
