The team stated in a communique that it “does not consider possible and opportune to remain at this time” in Beijing and its plans are to travel back home soon.

However, it noted that it reserves the right to protect the athletes’ rights and interests before the sporting and judicial bodies, in response to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s decision to ban them from participating in the competition, which opens tonight.

The IPC announced on Thursday that the Russian and Belarusian athletes have been excluded and mentioned among the reasons the increase of tensions in the villages where the participants to the global sports event are staying and also the threats by several countries not to compete.

This decision was a reversal to one that the International Paralympic Committee announced on Wednesday about the participation of the RPC and Belarus as neutral athletes in the sports event in China.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games will take place from March 4 to 13 and was scheduled the presence of 736 athletes from 48 delegations globally competing in six different sports: Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.

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