Olympics: Russia & Belarus reinstated by IPC, participation under neutral banner maintained by IOC

"IPC member organisations voted not to maintain the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees of Belarus and Russia," announced the International Paralympic Committee following its general assembly held in Seoul (KOR) on 26 and 27/09/2025.

This decision allows the two committees, which have been suspended since September 2023 "for breaches of their constitutional membership obligations" (due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia with the support of Belarus in 2022), to "regain regain their full rights and privileges" granted to members of the IPC, including the right to participate in the Paralympic Games under their respective flags, to have any medals they may have won entered on the medal table and to have their anthems played in the event of the victory of one of their athletes.

The IPC member organisations initially voted against the full suspension of the two committees (111 votes against out of 177 in the case of Russia, 119 votes against in the case of Belarus), before also voting against their partial suspension (91 votes against in the case of Russia, 103…