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Russian, Belarusian Athletes Banned from Paralympics After Ruling Reversal

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing amid the Russian government's military invasion of Ukraine.

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons issued a statement on Thursday about the ruling.

"The war has now come to these Games, and behind the scenes, many governments are having an influence on our cherished event," Parsons said. "We were trying to protect the Games from war."

Thursday's ruling comes one day after the IPC announced athletes from both countries would be allowed to participate in the Games:

"The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board met on Wednesday (2 March) to discuss how the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian and Belarus governments is impacting the Paralympic Games and the wider Paralympic Movement.