Russia and its ally Belarus will compete under their own flags at next month’s Paralympics following a yearslong ban.
Both were barred from Olympic and Paralympic competitions after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, though some athletes were permitted to participate under a neutral flag.
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The international Paralympic federations had said they would maintain the ban, but the two countries won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport: 10 of their athletes will compete in ski and snowboard events.
The decision may suggest a wider weakening of global sporting bodies’ stance: Soccer’s governing body banned Russia from the 2022 men’s World Cup, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently said he favored lifting the restriction because it “has achieved nothing.”