Latvian minister in charge of sports calls IPC decision to lift suspension of aggressor countries immoral

RIGA - Latvian Education and Science Minister Dace Melbarde (New Unity) has called the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision to lift the partial suspension of Russia and Belarus and let athletes representing these countries participate in the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games "immoral, cynical and unacceptable".

Latvia has started consultations with the Latvian Paralympic Committee (LPC), sports federations, as well as the Baltic and Nordic partner countries to agree on joint action, calling for an immediate reversal of the decision, the minister posted on social media.

Melbarde strongly criticized the IPC's decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competitions. She stresses that this is not only an insult to the Ukrainian people, but also a "stain of shame on the conscience of the international sports community".

"While children in Ukraine are dying and thousands of people are becoming disabled because of the Russian-led war, the Committee chooses to ignore the war, occupation and blatant human rights violations, in effect legalizing the return of aggressor states to the international arena," Melbarde said.

The International Paralympic Committee last Saturday lifted a partial suspension of Russia and Belarus imposed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Daiga Dadzite, President of the Latvian Paralympic Committee, called the decision bad news for the Baltic and other European countries, which opposed the participation of the aggressor countries in international competitions.

Ukraine's Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi said those who voted for the decision at the IPC's general assembly in Seoul had betrayed "their conscience and the Olympic values".

The IPC decision came eight days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games under a neutral flag and under "strict conditions of neutrality".