Paralympic chief: No reason to bar Israel from games over Gaza war

Wars and conflicts should not influence participation in the Paralympics, which need to convey a message of hope and support, and Israel should not be sanctioned, Andrew Parsons, the head of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) says.

The IPC said in March that Russian and Belarusian athletes joining the Paris 2024 Paralympics would not be part of their opening ceremony.

Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot take part in team competitions at the July 26-Aug. 11 Olympics and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics, but are allowed to participate as neutrals — without flags or anthems being played.

Israel, however, will fully participate in the Games despite calls to take actions due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

“The situations are different… The Russian and Belarusian Paralympic Committees were suspended because both organizations have breached the (Olympic) constitution,” Parsons tells Reuters 100 days before the start of the Paris Paralympics.

“They used the Olympic movement to promote the war and the invasion of Ukraine.”

Olympic authorities believe Israel should not be penalized.

“In the case of Israel, the Paralympic Committee and even the Palestine Paralympic Committee have not done anything of that nature, so we don’t have any process in place when it comes to suspending those national Paralympic committees,” Parsons explains.

“So far, the two national Paralympic (committees) are in line with our constitution, and we don’t have any suspension process in place targeting those two nations.”

Parsons added the Olympic movement should keep a cool head and promote peace.

“We don’t want to be directed by the conflicts around the world. I think the message is the other way around, that even if there are countries who are in conflict, even in the most difficult and challenging situations, support can still be a beacon of hope,” Parsons says.