IPC president disappointed with Ukraine, suggests party to switch politics to Milan-Cortina Paralympics
The president of the International Paralympic Committee is disappointed with the complaints made by the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine during the Milan-Cortina Games, saying that they seem to be attempts to remove the focus of sports from politics.
Andrew Parsons spoke to The Associated Press on the final day of the Winter Paralympic Games on Sunday, praising the results of the competition and discussing the return of the Russian flag and national anthem, the effects of the warm weather and the challenges of organizing the event in such a large area.
Parsons called it “disappointing” that Ukraine’s National Disability Committee and other countries’ national committees have tried to divert the focus from sports.
He said he was “very sensitive” to the situation in Ukraine and “can only try to imagine the fear,” but as a sports body, the IPC must ensure that the rules are not broken, even by the Ukrainian committee.
“Yeah, I think there’s been an effort to focus on sports the whole time,” Parsons said. “And I think that in the end, even some of the national Paralympic committees have responded very well, with a focus on sports. I understand, but it’s disappointing to some extent.”
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He said it was expected to see governments trying to focus on politics, but it is sad that sports organizations are doing it.
“I hope this is a lesson we learned from those NPCs who chose to focus more on the political side than on the sports side, because sports won,” he said.
Ukraine and several other nations boycotted the opening ceremony – and were expected to boycott Sunday’s closing ceremony – because of the IPC’s decision to give Russian athletes wildcard entries to the Games and allow them to compete under their flag for the first time in more than a decade.
The case of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Paralympic Committee accused the IPC organizers and Milan Cortina of subjecting Ukrainian athletes and coaches to “systematic pressure.”
It said the incidents included the forcible removal of the Ukrainian flag, the disruption of organizational meetings held by the Ukrainian team, and the banning of a Ukrainian athlete from wearing an earring with the words “Stop War” at a stadium event.
The IPC and local organizers have defended their actions.
Parsons said that it is expected that some countries will not be happy with the return of the Russian flag, but he feels that “most” of the national Paralympic committees are focused on sports, “because the sports part is what helps us achieve our goal, which is to create an inclusive world through Para sport, not foreign politics.”
“There were still some voices trying to continue focusing on what, in our opinion, should not be the focus of these games, but I think that the general opinion of people, especially people at home who watch on television or follow the media, following the news, is that (the focus) was more focused on athletes, sports, records, than on politics,” he said.
The Russian flag is moving forward
The Russian flag flew at the Paralympics for the first time since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, and the anthem was played for the first time at a major international sporting event since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The return of the Russian flag and national anthem was seen by some as a sign of a complete return to Olympic circles ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Parsons said the general assembly voted to issue the suspension only out of concern for the Paralympic movement.
“We don’t think we will start the programs,” he said.
“I know some people believe that this could have an impact on another sports organization, but that’s not what we’re focused on. It’s for the IOC to make their decisions, FIFA to make their decisions, and all the other international organizations to make their decisions.”
Warm weather
Parsons said discussions will continue about the impact of hot weather on the Paralympics.
Milan-Cortina organizers had to change the schedule of some events due to high temperatures, and some athletes competed in shorts, T-shirts and tank tops.
“Unfortunately, world leaders are not responding with the necessary speed to delay this plan,” he said. “So this is probably the trend we’re going to see in 2030, `34, ’38 ’42 and so on. So we need to have those discussions, and we’re having discussions “within the IPC and the IOC and the international federations.
“It’s a very big jigsaw puzzle,” Parsons said. “It’s not just, `OK, let’s move the Games one month earlier – the Olympics in January, the Paralympics in February.’ That also affects the regular season of those games. So we need to consider all these different factors. These conversations are happening. We are not sitting on our hands.”
Widespread Games
Parsons said the distribution model of the Games – with tournaments and places in different groups to reduce the cost of building new facilities – “is here to stay.”
“I think the biggest learning is that it is possible to have a big Games, even that main program of the place where the games are played. It doesn’t interfere with the spirit of the Games, but, yes, it brings more difficulties to the activities that need to be reduced, and that need to be well understood, and I think that by having this first experience here, we have a lot of learning that we can take to 2030, 2034.”
