Overview

• At an IPC General Assembly in Seoul, delegates rejected motions to impose full suspension on Russia by 55–111 (11 abstentions) and partial suspension by 77–91 (8 abstentions).
• The IPC announced the lifting of suspensions and told NHK that athletes from Russia and Belarus can compete at the Milan–Cortina Paralympics without restrictions as national representatives.
• Mainichi reported that the Belarus case remained under continued deliberation at the meeting, highlighting conflicting accounts about Belarus’s status.
• The shift follows 2022 indefinite bans later eased to partial suspensions in 2023 and a Paris 2024 policy that allowed only neutral individual participation without flags or anthems.
• The IOC’s Sept. 19 decision for the 2026 Olympics permits Russian and Belarusian athletes only as neutral individuals under strict conditions, underscoring the split in approach.