The International Paralympic Committee has announced that Paralympic athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete as neutrals at the 2022 Paralympic Games.
Multiple sporting bodies have hit Russia with expulsions from various competitions since the invasion of Ukraine, and a total of 72 athletes were due to represent the country at the Paralympics in Beijing.
The IOC recently recommended banning Russian athletes from events where possible, but with the option of competing as neutrals for "organisational or legal reasons", competitors from the two nations will take part in the Games but will not be included in the medal table.
A statement read: "The RPC and NPC Belarus will participate as neutrals at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. They will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table.
"IPC will host an extraordinary General Assembly in 2022 to vote on whether to make compliance with the Olympic Truce a membership requirement and whether to suspend or terminate the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee and Belarus Paralympic Committee. IPC will not hold any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice."
The opening ceremony of the 2022 Paralympic Games is due to take place on Friday, and the Russian Olympic Committee took 32 medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics - six of them gold.
Ben Knapton
