The British Olympic Association has called for the exclusion of Russian and Belarussian athletes from competition and the suspension of officials.
It follows a statement by the British Paralympic Association which says it “cannot see how the participation of Russia or Belarus in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games is compatible with the objectives of the Paralympic movement.”
The statement by the BOA – and done in tandem with the German Olympic equivalent – comes after the International Olympic Committee released their own which strongly recommends that sport governing bodies bar Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Belarus has allowed Russia to launch attacks from their own country and are complicit in the invasion of Ukraine.
However, the IOC’s statement fell short of suspending the Russian and Belarus Olympic Committees.
The BOA statement read:
“The British Olympic Association demands the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from international sport
“The British Olympic Association, together with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Germany, demands the immediate exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the international sports family until further notice.
“We call on the international sports federations to ban athletes representing Russia and Belarus from competitions for the time being and to suspend Russian and Belarusian officials from their positions.
“We stand united with the people, athletes and the Olympic family of Ukraine, following this unacceptable and unwarranted declaration of war against them.”
The 2022 Paralympic Winter Games are due to start in Beijing on 4 March and the British Paralympic Association has released a statement saying:
“The British Paralympic Association (BPA) stands united with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in condemning the actions of the Russian government in Ukraine and our thoughts and prayers are with our Ukrainian counterparts at this time.
“Participation in the Paralympic Games is a matter for the IPC and the IPC Governing Board is meeting on Wednesday 2nd March to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We recognise that the IPC is bound by its constitution to be a non-political body and we support them in delivering a peaceful Games for the benefit of all athletes.
“Given the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine we cannot see how the participation of Russia or Belarus in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games is compatible with the objectives of the Paralympic movement. The safety and wellbeing of our athletes and team is our primary concern. We await the decision of the IPC on Wednesday before commenting further.”
