Photo by Monica Dorame on Unsplash
At a time when international sporting institutions are striving to rebuild trust after years of crises and political disputes, the decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to restore full membership rights to the Paralympic committees of Russia and Belarus has sent a troubling signal. It seems premature and out of touch with the facts showing that the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) systematically collaborated with veterans of the so-called special military operation (SMO) against Ukraine throughout 2024–2025. These were not isolated actions but deliberate, well-documented practices that directly contradict the principles of sporting neutrality and the IPC’s own regulations.
Official releases from the RPC and the All-Russian Federation of Blind Sports (VFS S), along with reports from Russian broadcasters such as TASS and MatchTV, confirm that Russian Paralympic organisations repeatedly conducted training sessions, masterclasses, and specialised programmes for SMO servicemen and veterans during 2024–2025. In February 2024, the RPC hosted a para-archery masterclass at Moscow’s War Veterans Hospital No. 2 for injured soldiers, featuring prominent para-athletes: Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist and three-time world champion Elena Krutova, and World Championships medallist Anastasia Dzioeva. Their presence boosted the event’s public profile and established a direct link between the Paralympic movement and Russia’s military personnel.
In June and August 2024, the RPC organised Paralympic lessons as part of the “Defenders of the Fatherland Cup”, an interregional competition attended exclusively by SMO veterans. Later that autumn, the Heroes of Our Time project was launched in Ufa, explicitly aimed at veterans of Russia’s war against Ukraine and organised jointly by the RPC and the Zdorovoe Otechestvo movement. More public figures were involved, including two-time world boxing champion Raimkul Malakhbekov as an honorary mentor and speaker.
In July 2025, the RPC and VFS S held a special Paralympic lesson in Sergiev Posad for visually impaired SMO participants. The event was led by RPC president Pavel Rozhkov and three-time Paralympic champion, VFS S president, and RPC vice-president Olga Semyonova. Their participation demonstrates that support for SMO veterans is not a peripheral initiative but a core focus within Russia’s Paralympic leadership.
The culmination of this trend came with the first dedicated training camp for SMO veterans, held from 15 to 18 September 2025 near Moscow, at the Lesnaya Opushka sports facility. The programme was organised by Zdorovoe Otechestvo and the RPC, supported by VFS S, and included sessions led by national team representatives and Paralympic athletes. Among the mentors was professional boxing world champion Roman Andreyev, who worked with participants on adaptive boxing techniques. In an interview on 19 September 2025, RPC president Pavel Rozhkov confirmed both the nature of these camps and the fact that Paralympic coaches and athletes were consistently working with SMO veterans across multiple Russian regions.
These actions are not minor technical violations. They breach key provisions of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes Regulations (Paris 2024), which prohibit the involvement of individuals who support the war against Ukraine or have links to Russian military structures. Any cooperation between national Paralympic committees and military institutions is strictly forbidden. The IPC’s Code of Ethics also explicitly requires avoiding political instrumentalisation of the Paralympic movement or the use of Paralympic platforms for military or propaganda purposes. The RPC’s activities violate these principles both institutionally and systematically, involving senior officials, Paralympic champions, and high-profile sports figures in the media.
Against this background, the IPC’s decision to lift both full and partial suspensions of the Russian and Belarusian committees seems particularly risky. IPC members voted against maintaining sanctions: for Russia, 111–55 against full suspension and 91–77 against partial suspension. Officially, this does not amount to an automatic return of flags and anthems, but in practice it paves the way for the full reintegration of the aggressor states into the Paralympic movement. For Ukraine where many para-athletes became disabled as a direct result of Russian shelling the decision is deeply unjust.
For international sport, it poses serious risks: political provocations, the use of competitions for propaganda, and potential protests or boycotts triggered by the reappearance of Russian national symbols on global stages. Unless strict neutrality is maintained, including thorough individual vetting of athletes and officials and a mechanism for rapid re-suspension, the Paralympic movement risks losing credibility not only in Ukraine but across Europe.
