Bach supports allowing Russia to participate in the Paralympics

German International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach announced his support for the controversial decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paralympic Winter Games, which begins on Friday in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Bach told reporters that the decision of the International Paralympic Committee, which deals with special needs sports, issued earlier today, Wednesday, to allow these athletes to enter as neutrals was in line with its own recommendations, saying, "We fully respect this decision."

The International Paralympic Committee was widely criticized for allowing Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Paralympic Games, which take place from 4 to 13 March, in contrast to most other sports federations that imposed a ban on Russia from participating in international events.

Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, called the decision "the harshest possible sanction we can inflict under our statutes and current IPC regulations".

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news