IPC Values Dilemma

     The decision made by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ban the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees (NPC) has sparked a great debate about fairness and inclusion and how the sport plays a role in politics. The IPC promotes courage, determination, and equality. Whether the ban is in line with the IPC values, it can be taken both ways, but which way is the right way? It can be interpreted in different ways depending on your own personal values.  

    In my opinion, the IPC is not making the right decision. I think it conflicts with their own values that they hold, and banning them does not make them look like a well-rounded committee. Paralympic athletes already go through many mental and physical behaviors. When the IPC excludes them from the Paralympics, it can be seen as more of a punishment. These athletes have no real effect on the government, so the decisions that the IPC makes should not include banning certain committees due to their external issues with other countries. This contradicts the movement's goals of empowering individuals and providing inclusivity for people with disabilities. The IPC should rethink its decision on who it is not accepting into the Paralympics.  

    In future events, the NPC should not be banned; the Paralympics are meant to bring people together and empower others. Punishing these athletes is unfair because they can not do anything to change the government's decisions and the actions the government takes. This sport is also supposed to unite people from different nations, but continuing to ban Russians and Belarusians will create a higher risk of bringing political issues into the sport, which would go even more against the values of the IPC. The values will continue to get lost the more events they continue to ban them from. If the athletes meet the standards and follow all rules, they should not be banned from competing in the IPC/IOC.
    I do not think that hosting events in Russia and Belarus would stop the political tension that is being caused in this situation. I am not against the idea of them hosting events, but it is not gonna change the intensity of the situation. I think that they should be able to participate in sports events outside of those countries because these athletes are not a part of the government and do not affect state policy. Banning these athletes solely based on their nationality. According to Reuters by ESPN, it was stated that "Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the Paris 2024 Olympics can take part as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems at the event next year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday" (Grohmann, 2023). As long as athletes did not show any support for their country, they were allowed to compete; they had to play smart and hard to be able to earn that spot. Now in 2026 the IPC lifted the ban of not being able to compete under their own flags. They will be treated the same as every other country, In a video posted by France 24 it was stated by the IPC that " our game is sport, that means keeping sport a neutral ground... without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments" (France 24). This shows a progress in the right direction for these countries and we can only hope for more inclusion and less political involvement in future Paralympics/Olympics. 

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Russians, Belarusians to compete under ...

References

Grohmann. (2023, December 8). Russians, Belarusians to participate at Paris olympics as Neutrals - IOC | Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/sports/russian-belarusian-athletes-participate-paris-olympics-neutrals-ioc-2023-12-08/

    

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