A Russian flag is held above the Olympic Rings at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on February 18, 2014. DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP
Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their own national flags at the 2026 Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, the Games' governing body confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, February 17. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) told AFP the athletes would be "treated like [those from} any other country."
Athletes from Russia and Belarus had been banned from competing under their own flags since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The IPC unexpectedly lifted its suspension on Russian and Belarusian athletes at the organization's general assembly in September.
The partial suspension, which allowed athletes only to compete as neutrals, was put in place in 2023 in place of a complete ban enacted after Russia's invasion in 2022. Athletes from both nations have been permitted to accumulate ranking points since Russia and Belarus won an appeal against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in December.
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