Russians at Paralympics opens door for LA28 Olympics return, expert warns
Allowing Russian athletes to compete in the Paralympics under their national flag opens up the same opportunities at the next Olympic Games, according to geopolitical experts.
Six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be able to compete under their native flags at the upcoming Paralympic Games in Milan after the International Paralympic Committee lifted its ban on competitors from the two counties.
They were initially suspended in 2023 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but 10 athletes will now be able to compete, in a move described as “outrageous” by Ukrainian sports minister Matvii Bidnyi and “completely the wrong decision” by UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
“It appears that pressure is building for the country to be allowed to participate again in international competitions,” Professor Chadwick told CityAM.
“First, Fifa president Gianni Infantino floated that idea of Russia’s readmittance to international competition, now it’s the Paralympic Games, one imagines that the IOC will soon follow suit.”
Aleksey Bugaev, a three-time Paralympics ski champion, and cross-country skiers Ivan Golubkov and Anastasiia Bagiian are reportedly among the 10 athletes set to compete, and the decision comes as Russia and Ukraine hold peace talks – brokered by the US – in Geneva.
Paralympics participation on ice?
“One imagines that the Trump administration may be applying pressure on behalf of Russia, though some other observations are questioning how effective banning Russia from sports competitions has been,” Professor Chadwick added.
The ongoing Milano Cortina Winter Olympics features 20 AINs – the French acronym for Individual Neutral Athletes. These are Russians and Belarusians who compete under a neutral banner at the games after receiving approval from the International Olympic Committee.
No AIN has won a medal at this year’s Olympic Games but many Russian-born competitors have picked up gongs in Italy.
Said Chadwick: “Add to this appeals that Russian athletes and sports organisations have been making, sometimes successfully, to CAS [the Court of Arbitration for Sport] appealing these bans; concerns that Vladimir Putin is seeking to create his own sport mega events; and the support of countries that are inclined to follow Russia’s lead, rather than the United States’ or Europe’s, and we can see that the global tide is slowly turning towards permitting Russia to re-enter international and global competitions.
“And, inevitably, the justification for this will be ’neutrality’ and ’sport and politics shouldn’t be allowed to mix’.”
Nandy said: “Allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their own flags while the brutal invasion of Ukraine continues sends a terrible message.”
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics begins on 6 March and runs for 10 days.