• IPC will work with its stakeholders and partners to support Para athletes with refugee status on their pathway to the Paralympic Games

• French Ministry of Sport has offered to fund hosting the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) in a pre-Games training camp in France

• Airbnb joins as the first Official Partner to support the RPT

• IPC commits to Joint Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection that uses sport to improve the lives of displaced people

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced at the Global Refugee Forum 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday (13 December) plans to support a Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

With the support of several stakeholders and partners, including UNHCR, the French Ministry of Sport, and Airbnb, the IPC will provide a pathway for Para athletes with refugee status to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Underlining its support of the 114 million people who are forcibly displaced worldwide, the IPC also signed the Joint Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection at the Global Refugee Forum, a contribution by the sports ecosystem to improve the lives of displaced people, with the following commitment:

“The International Paralympic Committee will: work with our members and other stakeholders to promote and facilitate access to inclusive sport opportunities for refugees and displaced persons with disabilities; lead and support the pathway for refugee Para athletes to compete at the Paralympic Games; use its global channels to provide a platform for Para athletes who are refugees to share their stories with the world.”

To ensure the best possible preparations for the RPT ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the French Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games has offered to host RPT athletes for a pre-Games training camp at one of France’s centres of sport.

The Ministry will provide wrap-around support to the training camp, including accommodation and access to world-class sports facilities. The camp will provide a valuable opportunity for focused preparation in advance of the Paralympic Games, as the athletes unite as a team from across the world for the first time.

Worldwide Paralympic Partner, Airbnb, is the first Official Partner to confirm their backing for the RPT at Paris 2024, having previously supported the RPT at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Airbnb will support the team with training and other expenses on the road to the Games. Airbnb and Airbnb.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to connecting people in times of crisis to temporary housing, have been longtime allies to people displaced by humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Since 2012, Airbnb and Airbnb.org have offered free, emergency stays for nearly 300,000 people, including more than 200,000 refugees, with the support of Airbnb Hosts.

Kristina Molloy, IPC Chief Membership and Impact Officer, said: “Sport is a powerful driver for positive social change for persons with disabilities across the globe, and the Paralympic Games are the pinnacle event that showcases the very best of Para sport. The Refugee Paralympic Team is such an important representation of resilience, strength and hope within our Movement, and we are thrilled to support the athletes’ participation in a meaningful way with the necessary supports.”

Dominique Hyde, Director of UNHCRs Division of External Relations, added: “Refugees with disabilities will once again be able to compete at the highest level with their peers. We welcome the decision to support a Refugee Paralympic Team to compete in Paris and thank the IPC for their continued support for people who have been forced to flee, particularly this week during the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.”

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French Minister of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, commented: “I am extremely pleased with this very strong partnership between the IPC and the Ministry of Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games. It gives concrete expression to the values of universalism and inclusion promoted by the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will be an honour for France to offer the best training conditions to the Refugee Paralympic Team, a symbol of empowerment and resilience through sport.”

Jay Carney, Airbnb Global Head of Policy and Communications, said: “Refugee athletes demonstrate incredible resilience and perseverance. We are proud to support the Refugee Paralympic Team for Paris 2024 and help these athletes pursue their dreams.”

The IPC is offering a range of in and out of competition support to the selected RPT athletes to support their focus on readiness for the Games. This will include facilitating their participation in competition opportunities in advance of the Games, covering entry, travel, and accommodation, as well as empowering athletes and coaches in their general preparations.

To be considered for the RPT, athletes must have confirmed refugee status in accordance with the relevant legal frameworks. Athletes with the potential to compete in the Games will be identified by IPC working closely with International Federations, IPC World Para Sports, and National Paralympic Committees. A team of up to 10 athletes will be named in early 2024 based on performance and meeting the eligibility and selection criteria. No athletes have been selected so far.

Paris 2024 will be the third time the IPC has been responsible for the RPT. At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games there were two athletes in the team, which increased to six for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have hailed the remarkable impact of En Sus Marcas, Listos…Inclusion (ELI) for using Para sport to change the lives of thousands of people in vulnerable communities across the Americas.

The groundbreaking ELI initiative was launched in 2017 as a transformative partnership between the IDB and IPC to use Para sport as the key tool in delivering socio-economic inclusion for people with disabilities across the region.

The initiative takes place in communities that have had high rates of poverty and where there are high percentages of people with impairments who have no access to sport. Over the past six years three editions of the ELI partnership have been delivered, and its impact across the Americas has been nothing short of remarkable.

• ELI has provided over 800 people with access to Para sport in their communities, a right they were previously denied. This has not only changed their lives but has also had a profoundly positive impact on their families and communities.
• 2,000 local leaders in vulnerable communities have been trained and exposed to the Paralympic Movement, breaking down barriers and changing perceptions of disability.
• By the end of 2024, ELI will have provided access to Para sport in 41 vulnerable communities in 11 countries and strength the institutional capacity of a third of the Americas National Paralympic Committees: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago have already witnessed the positive impact of ELI.

IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “At the IPC we firmly believe that Change Starts With Sport, and all the evidence shows that En Sus Marcas, Listos…Inclusion is a powerful force for good. ELI is more than a project, in the vulnerable communities in which it’s being delivered it’s having a hugely positive impact for athletes and their families.

“If the Parapan American Games are the most important sporting event in the Americas to drive social inclusion, ELI is the most important project to build inclusion in the region by helping create more inclusive communities.

“The IPC expresses gratitude to the Inter-American Development Bank, and its Japanese Fund for Poverty Reduction, for partnering in the delivery of the groundbreaking work of ELI. As the largest donor in the Americas, the IDB plays a pivotal role in making the region more inclusive.

“The IPC looks forward to continuing its work with the IDB, expanding ELI to more countries in the Americas, and building a more inclusive society while supporting National Paralympic Committees to produce top Para athletes.”

Florencia Attademo-Hirt, General Manager Southern Cone Country Department, and IDB Group Country Representative Chile, added: “In Latin America and the Caribbean approximately 88 million people were living with some form of disability in 2020, and disparities in wellbeing and inclusion persist between people with and without disabilities.

“Sports are an instrument to promote inclusion. Therefore, the IDB, in partnership with National Paralympic Committees, is supporting the expansion of Paralympic sports in 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Chile, in 41 communities with high poverty rates and a significant percentage of people with disabilities.”

Para dance sport has been governed by the IPC since 1998 and is one of six Para sports for which the IPC acts as the international federation.

World Abilitysport is one of the world’s leading organisations for the development of Para sports and the international governing body for wheelchair fencing and powerchair hockey. It was formed in 2023 following the merger of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA), two founding members of the IPC.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “World Abilitysport is an organisation whose history is closely linked to the history of the Paralympic Movement. It has a proven record of developing sports from grassroots to an elite level, as well as a vast experience as governing body. I would like to thank World Abilitysport for their passion and commitment to Para sports, which will provide Para dance all the necessary knowledge and skills to grow and flourish.

“I would also like to say thank you to World Para Dance Sport and its sport community as they are responsible for the extraordinary development of Para dance since it became part of the IPC a quarter of a century ago. Together with the World Para Sports Unit they have set the stage for this new and exciting phase that starts on 1 January next year.”

World Abilitysport President, Rudi Van Den Abbeele, said: “World Abilitysport is hugely excited to be given the chance to open a bright new chapter for Para dance sport. It is an incredibly powerful, dynamic and beautiful sport with a great community of athletes, coaches, volunteers and officials behind it.

“We have been given a strong foundation from which to launch our efforts to continue the development of the sport around the world. We believe that, combined with our experience, passion and network, Para dance sport can flourish long into the future.”

Para dance sport is practiced in over 30 countries. The last edition of the World Championships in Bonn, Germany in 2019, saw 225 athletes (124 women and 101 men) from 26 nations competing in 21 medal events. Genoa, Italy will host the next World Championships from 24 to 26 November.

The Polish athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for Prohibited Substances in a urine sample provided in-competition on 7 April 2019 during the Men’s over 107kg competition at the 2019 Polish Weightlifting Individual Championships for People with Disabilities.

The substances were metabolites of Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), Metandienone, Oxandrolone and Clomifene. DHCMT, Metandienone, Oxandrolone are listed as Prohibited Substances under class S1.1A of WADA’s 2019 Prohibited List (Anabolic Agents). Clomifene is listed as a Prohibited Substance under S4.3 of WADA’s 2019 Prohibited List (Hormone and Metabolic Modulators).

The athlete was provisionally suspended by the Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA) on 13 June 2019 pending a resolution of his case.

On 30 December 2019, the athlete was charged with an ADRV pursuant to the POLADA Anti-Doping Rules.

On 22 July 2020, a POLADA Disciplinary Panel ruled that the athlete had violated the POLADA Anti-Doping Rules and imposed a sanction of a four-year period of Ineligibility on the athlete.

Following an appeal by the athlete, on 17 February 2021 a POLADA Appeal Panel overturned the POLADA First Instance Decision and lifted the athlete’s suspension, on the basis that the POLADA Anti-Doping Rules did not apply to the athlete.

On 30 September 2021, the IPC charged the athlete with an ADRV pursuant to the 2018 IPC Anti-Doping Code and provisionally suspended the athlete pending a resolution of his case.

Following this, the athlete challenged, among other things, the IPC’s jurisdiction to bring a case under the IPC Anti-Doping Code against the athlete on the basis of the AAF. This jurisdiction challenge was dismissed in a ruling of the IPC Independent Anti-Doping Tribunal on 9 December 2021, and then by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following an appeal by the athlete to CAS, on 1 May 2023.

Following the dismissal of the jurisdiction challenge by CAS, the substantive ADRV case was heard before the IPC Independent Tribunal. On 13 October 2023 the IPC Independent Anti-Doping Tribunal found the AAF charge to be proven and sanctioned the athlete to a four-year period of Ineligibility.

As a result of his violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for four years from 13 June 2019. The suspension is to take into account the POLADA Provisional Suspension (13 June 2019 to 17 February 2021) and the IPC Provisional Suspension (30 September 2021 to 13 October 2023), bringing its end date to 22 January 2024.

The results obtained from the Men’s over 107kg competition at the 2019 Polish Weightlifting Individual Championships for People with Disabilities are automatically disqualified, with all resulting Consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes. All other results obtained by the athlete from the date the positive sample was collected until the commencement of the provisional suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting Consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Jude Ellis, Head of Anti-Doping at the IPC, said: “This case serves as a reminder to those athletes who have agreed to participate in any World Para Sports’ competition or who have signed the IPC’s Athlete Eligibility Agreement. Regardless of their level of experience, these athletes have a responsibility to understand and comply with their obligations under the IPC Anti-Doping Code. This includes taking steps to ensure that anything they consume does not contain a substance included on the WADA Prohibited List. The IPC has anti-doping jurisdiction over the World Para Sports, and this applies at all times, whether in-competition or out-of-competition.

“The IPC would also remind National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) to ensure their anti-doping rules are drafted so as to ensure that they have jurisdiction and results management authority over Para athletes where appropriate.”

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.

The Kenyan athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for the administration of testosterone and/or its precursors in a urine sample provided out-of-competition on 15 June 2023.

Kiprop’s urine sample was analysed using a specialised type of analysis, known as Gas Chromatography/Combustion/Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS), that differentiates between anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) naturally produced by the body and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin. The GC/C/IRMS analysis confirmed the presence of testosterone and/or its metabolites of exogenous origin in Kiprop’s urine sample.

The substances are included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2022 Prohibited List under the class S1.1 and are prohibited at all times.

The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on 8 July 2023 pending a resolution of his case.

The athlete subsequently accepted the commission of the ADRV, and the consequences proposed by the IPC.

As a result of his violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for three years from 8 July 2023 to 7 July 2026.

All results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected until the commencement of the provisional suspension are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.

The Moroccan athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Prohibited Substance in a urine sample provided in-competition on 11 March 2023 during the men’s 400m T46 final at the Marrakech 2023 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.

The substance was methyltestosterone. The substance is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2023 Prohibited List under the class S1.1 (Anabolic Androgenic Steroids).

The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on 17 April 2023 pending a resolution of his case.

The athlete subsequently accepted the commission of the ADRV and the Consequences proposed by the IPC.

As a result of his violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for three years from 17 April 2023 to 16 April 2026.

The results obtained by the athlete in the men’s 400m T46 final at the Marrakech 2023 World Para Athletics Grand Prix are disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes. All other results obtained by the athlete at the Marrakech 2023 World Para Athletics Grand Prix and from the date the sample was collected until the commencement of the Provisional Suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.

The Greek athlete returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for Prohibited Substances in a urine sample provided in-competition on 17 December 2022 during the men’s over 107 kg competition at the Dubai 2022 Para Powerlifting World Cup.

The substances were drostanolone and oxandrolone. The substances are included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2022 Prohibited List under the class S1.1 (Anabolic Androgenic Steroids).

The athlete was provisionally suspended by the IPC on 27 January 2023 pending a resolution of his case.

The athlete subsequently accepted the commission of the ADRV and the Consequences proposed by the IPC.

As a result of his violation, the athlete will be ineligible for competition and other sporting activities (other than authorised anti-doping education or rehabilitation programs) for three years from 27 January 2023 to 26 January 2026.

The results obtained by the athlete in the men’s over 107 kg competition at the Dubai 2022 Para Powerlifting World Cup are automatically disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes. All other results obtained by the athlete from the date the sample was collected until the commencement of the provisional suspension are also disqualified, with all resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

Each athlete is strictly liable for the substances found in their sample. An ADRV occurs whenever a prohibited substance (or its metabolites or markers) is found in their bodily specimen, whether or not the athlete intentionally or unintentionally used a prohibited substance or was negligent or otherwise at fault.

As a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code (the WADC), the IPC remains committed to a doping-free sporting environment at all levels. The IPC has established the IPC Anti-Doping Code in compliance with the general principles of the WADC, including the WADC International Standards, expecting that, in the spirit of sport, it will lead the fight against doping in sport for athletes with an impairment.

• New event aims to increase Stoke Mandeville’s status as the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement

As part of a weekend of international Paralympic celebrations, it has been announced that Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of Paralympic sport, will be where the Paralympic Flame will be created ahead of each Paralympic Torch Relay from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games onwards.

The new concept devised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), ParalympicsGB, and WheelPower, aims to increase global awareness of the role Stoke Mandeville and Sir Ludwig Guttmann played in the birth and development of the Paralympic Movement.

Stoke Mandeville, which recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games, marked the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay. Since the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games onwards, the Paralympic Movement’s birthplace has hosted a Heritage Flame Lighting event each Paralympic Games edition. This Heritage Flame has then contributed towards the Paralympic Flame created in the host country of the Games.

In the same way the Olympic Flame is kindled in Olympia, Greece, the plan now is for the Paralympic Flame to be created in Stoke Mandeville, marking the start of the Paralympic Torch Relay.

Stoke Mandeville kicks of a weekend of countdown celebrations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. On Sunday 8 October Paris will host Paralympic Day in the Place de la République and will include performances in 14 Para sports and the presence of a vast list of Paralympians. Paralympic Day is celebrated on the eve of the launch of Paralympic Games ticket sales, which will start on Monday 9 October when 2.8 million tickets will go on sale, without a ballot, on the tickets.paris2024.org platform.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said, “It is fitting that 75 years on from those historic first Stoke Mandeville Games and on the eve of ticket sales for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games we are announcing that Stoke Mandeville will play an even greater role in all future editions of the Paralympic Games.

“The Paralympic Movement owes Stoke Mandeville and Sir Ludwig Guttmann a huge debt of gratitude. What started out as a small-scale sport event in 1948 at the back of a rehabilitation hospital for 16 injured war veterans has now become the world’s third biggest sport event. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games 4,350 exceptional athletes from 180 countries will compete in 22 sports, while a cumulative audience of 4.1 billion will watch on TV.

“Through his pioneering techniques, Sir Ludwig changed the world with sport, something that is central to the IPC today. With this new concept for the flame lighting, we want to honour the history of the Paralympic Movement but also highlight the evolution of the Paralympic Games since the first edition in Rome, Italy, in 1960.

“Today, the Paralympic Games is a spectacular sport event and the only global event of impact that puts persons with disabilities front and centre. The transformational legacies the Games also leave in the host country and globally are also truly impressive and act as a catalyst to a more inclusive world for all.

Dave Clarke OBE, CEO of ParalympicsGB, said: “Great Britain is immensely proud to be the birthplace of Paralympic sport and starting the flame’s journey at Stoke Mandeville is fitting recognition of its role as the catalyst for what has grown to be such a powerful global sporting movement.

“At ParalympicsGB we work tirelessly to continue to be at the forefront of the evolution of disability sport as we know that the performances of Paralympic athletes and the positive role models such performances create is one of the best ways of challenging perceptions and breaking down barriers faced by all disabled people.

“ParalympicsGB remains relentlessly focused on ensuring that participation in sport is open to everyone. We believe there is still far more we and wider society can do to improve access to inclusive sporting opportunities so more disabled people can experience the physical, mental, and social benefits of taking part to build on the visionary work Ludwig Guttman began at Stoke Mandeville Hospital 75 years ago.”

“Great Britain is immensely proud to be the birthplace of Paralympic sport and starting the flame’s journey at Stoke Mandeville is a fitting recognition of its role as the catalyst for what has grown to be such an impactful global event.

“At ParalympicsGB we work tirelessly to continue be at the forefront of the evolution of disability sport as we know the performances of Paralympics athletes in the field of play is one of the best ways of challenging perceptions and breaking down barriers for all disabled people.”

Martin McElhatton OBE, Chief Executive of WheelPower, said: “It is wonderful that the role Sir Ludwig and Stoke Mandeville played in igniting the Paralympic Movement will be part of all future Paralympic Games Torch Relays. At WheelPower we continue to use the power of the Paralympics to inspire and encourage disabled people to move more, be active and play sport. We are proud that together with others here in Buckinghamshire and the UK we celebrate the heritage of the Paralympics and the place where it all started in 1948.”

How and when the Paralympic Flame will be created for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be announced in due course.

ABOUT STOKE MANDEVILLE AND THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT

In 1944, at the request of the British Government, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann opened a spinal injuries centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain, and in time, rehabilitation sport evolved to recreational sport and then to competitive sport.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Dr. Guttmann organised the first competition for wheelchair athletes which he named the Stoke Mandeville Games, a milestone in Paralympic history. They involved 16 injured servicemen and women who took part in archery.

The Stoke Mandeville Games later became the Paralympic Games which first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960 featuring 319 athletes from 21 countries. Since then, they have taken place every four years.

The Paralympic Movement is Guttmann’s legacy, and the Paralympic Games showcase his belief that persons with disabilities can achieve elite levels in sport as well as use sport and physical activity to improve their health and wellbeing.

The National Paralympic Committees of Russia and Belarus were both partially suspended by the IPC General Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, on Friday (29 September 2023) for breaches of their constitutional membership obligations.

IPC members voted 90-56 in favour of a motion to partially suspend NPC Russia (with six members abstaining), while 79-57 voted to partially suspend NPC Belarus (with nine members abstaining). For a motion to be passed, a 50%+ 1 result of all votes cast was required.

As a result of the General Assembly’s decision all NPC Russia and NPC Belarus’s membership rights are suspended for two years (subject to reassessment at the next ordinary General Assembly) with the exception that their athletes (and related support personnel) will be eligible to participate in an individual and neutral capacity (this means no teams) in the Paralympic Games and World and Regional Championships and sanctioned competitions in the six sports for which the IPC acts as international federation. In each case, this is subject to athletes and support personnel meeting such conditions of participation set by the IPC Governing Board. These conditions will be published in due course.

NPC Russia and NPC Belarus are also not allowed to organise any sport event/competition involving other IPC members.

The decision by IPC members to partially suspend NPC Russia and NPC Belarus is due to their inability to comply with their membership obligations, under the 2011 and 2022 versions of the IPC Constitution which govern both NPCs’ activities.

Under the 2011 IPC Constitution, which covered activities up to and including 23 August 2022, obligations included:

• to ‘ensure the organisation of successful Paralympic Games’ (Article 2.3.4)

• to promote Para sport ‘without discrimination for political […] reasons’ (Article 2.2.2)

• to ‘ensure that, in sport practiced within the Paralympic Movement, the spirit of fair play prevails, violence is banned, the health risk of the athletes is managed and fundamental ethical principles are upheld’ (Article 2.3.8).

Under the 2022 IPC Constitution which covers activities from 24 August 2023 onwards, ongoing obligations include:

• to ‘be neutral and impartial in matters of politics’ (Article 13.2.16).

• to ‘respect, support, and promote’ the objects of the IPC (Article 13.2.2), and ‘not do anything (by act or omission) that is contrary to the purpose or objects of the IPC’ (Article 13.2.26), including the objects of: (i) ‘ensur[ing] that, in Para sport within the Paralympic Movement, the spirit of fair play prevails, the safety and health of the athletes are protected, and fundamental ethical principles are upheld’ (Article 4.2.8); and (ii) ‘respect[ing] the principle of political neutrality and impartiality’ (Article 4.2.11).

• to ‚manage its affairs autonomously and without improper interference from bodies outside the Paralympic Movement, including by ensuring that its operations are not influenced by any political, governmental or religious interference’ (Article 13.2.15).

• to not do anything (by act or omission) ‘that risks bringing the IPC, the Paralympic Movement, or Para sport into disrepute’ (Article 13.2.26).

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “In reaching its decision, the IPC General Assembly was presented with evidence from the IPC, NPC Russia, and NPC Belarus, before a lengthy discussion took place. This provided an opportunity for IPC members to share their views on this subject.

“As this was a decision taken by the IPC General Assembly, I expect all IPC members to fully respect it. With the decision now behind us, I hope the focus as we lead-up to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games can now be very much on sport and the performances of Para athletes.”

Prior to the IPC General Assembly’s decisions on partial suspension, IPC members first considered the full suspension of both NPCs. IPC members voted 74-65 (with 13 abstentions) against a motion to fully suspend NPC Russia, while the vote against fully suspending NPC Belarus was 74-56 (with 15 abstentions).

Both NPC Russia and NPC Belarus now have the right to appeal the decisions of the IPC General Assembly to the IPC independent Appeals Tribunal. Should any appeal not be upheld then the suspension will remain in place until reassessment at the 2025 IPC General Assembly.

The IPC member organisations permitted to vote at the IPC General Assembly include National Paralympic Committees, International Federations and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled in good standing.