Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee
6:00 JST, May 21, 2024
There are now less than 100 days left until August 28, when this year’s Paralympic Games start in Paris. Andrew Parsons, 47, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun earlier this month that a decision on inviting Russian and Belarusian athletes to the opening ceremony would be made soon.
Last fall, the IPC extended the suspension of the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees due to Russia’s continued aggression in Ukraine, where Belarus is its ally. The IPC has decided to allow athletes from both countries to participate individually under certain conditions. Although these athletes will not march in the opening ceremony, which will take place at Place de la Concorde, discussions are ongoing between the IPC and the Paris Games Organizing Committee regarding their invitation to the venue.
Parsons said he will decide very soon whether Paralympians from the two countries should also have the special experience of interacting with locals at the venue.
Meanwhile, demonstrations have taken place on the outskirts of Paris calling for sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia to be imposed on Israel over the humanitarian crisis caused by that country’s invasion of the Palestinian territory of Gaza. Parsons emphasized that Russia has exploited the Paralympic spirit and activities for political propaganda in their aggression, violating IPC rules and resulting in their suspension and preventing them from participating as a nation in the Paralympic Games. The president said the situation with Israel is different because there are no rule violations. He indicated that there were no problems with the Israeli team that took part in the ceremony.
Parsons expressed hope that this year’s games, which will be broadcast in more than 160 countries and regions, will be the most spectacular yet and show the world what coexistence looks like.
