Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals at the Beijing Winter Paralympics, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has said.

It means they will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table.

The decision was made despite calls to ban them following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for which Belarus has been a key staging area.

On Monday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that sports federations suspend teams and athletes from the two countries – but added that they could compete as neutrals if time or legal constraints prevented their removal.

“They will compete under the Paralympic flag and not be included in the medal table,” the IPC said in a statement.

“In deciding what action to take, the board was guided by the IPC’s core principles, which include a commitment to political neutrality and impartiality, and an unwavering belief in the transformative power of sport.

“These are key components of the new IPC Constitution that was approved at the 2021 IPC General Assembly held just over three months ago.”

Ukraine-Russia news live: Kherson ‘completely surrounded’ by Russians as Ukraine ‘foils assassination attempt’ on Zelenskyy

Ukraine invasion: Russia gathers troops ‘closer and closer’ to Kyiv as Ukraine ‘destroys’ two Russian planes in battle over capital

Ukraine invasion: Navalny calls for daily protests against Putin

The full Ukrainian team – made up of 20 athletes and nine guides – will be travelling to China to compete in the Games, which officially open on Friday, following some initial uncertainty about their participation.

They will appear in two sports, the biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Russian athletes were already set to compete in Beijing under the Russian Paralympic Committee banner as part of earlier sanctions against the country for state-sponsored doping.

The British Paralympic Association issued a statement on Monday saying it could not see how allowing Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete in Beijing was “compatible with the objectives of the Paralympic movement”.

Related posts:

Symptomatic COVID cases drop by 94% with Pfizer vaccine, Israeli study shows Italy bans all cruise ships from central Venice in bid to preserve famed waters Olympic medallist found guilty of £110m cocaine smuggling plot Putin: ‘Where is the proof’ we are waging a cyber war against America? Irish basketball chief quits over Raheem Sterling dive jibe Spy chief warns of Afghanistan ‘morale boost’ for extremists in wake of Taliban resurgence Naval attack from Russia is ‘real’ but Ukraine will retaliate, vice admiral warns France eases travel restrictions for people arriving from UK Djokovic handed Australian Open draw despite no decision on if he’s allowed to compete ‘Of course we don’t want war’ says Putin as conflicting reports claim he has withdrawn forces from border ‘We are not your enemy’: Biden’s message to Russians as he urges Putin to ‘step back from brink of war’ Russia says it will retaliate if sanctions imposed by UK over Ukraine crisis