Reversing course, the International Paralympic Committee kicked the Russian and Belarusian teams from the competition, which is scheduled to start Friday, after tensions between teams escalated in the Olympic Village, the Associated Press reports.
Athletes showing support for Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia a week ago, and for Ukrainian athletes pushed for the exclusion of the Russian and Belarusian teams, a move the IPC was hesitant to take earlier in the week, instead demanding the two teams compete under a neutral flag.
“We did not think that entire delegations, or even teams within delegations, will withdraw, will boycott, will not participate,” IPC president Andrew Parsons said, but athletes and entire teams from other countries threatened to pull out of the games if the Russian and Belarusian teams weren’t excluded. Several hundred athletes signed petitions giving the IPC an ultimatum: us or them.