IPC Suspends Membership Of Russian Paralympic Committee

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2022) The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday it had suspended the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) in the organization.

"At an Extraordinary General Assembly in Berlin, IPC members have voted 64-39 (with 16 abstentions) in favour of a motion to suspend NPC Russia with immediate effect due to its inability to comply with membership obligations under the IPC Constitution," the IPC said on Twitter.

"Due to its suspension, NPC Russia loses all IPC membership rights subject to its right to appeal. Should any appeal not be upheld, only the General Assembly can lift the suspension. Next General Assembly likely Q4 of 2023," it added.

In late February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of international sports federations followed this recommendation. The IPC suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The IPC stripped the RPC of its membership in the organization in August 2016, before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The RPC was conditionally reinstated in March 2019.