BEIJING, March 4. /TASS/. Russian athletes from the national team of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), who arrived for 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in China, will depart from Beijing on March 6, Pavel Rozhkov, the RPC acting president, told TASS on Friday.

"Everyone on the Russian team’s roster will leave the capital of the [2022 Winter] Paralympic Games on March 6 boarding an Aeroflot flight," Rozhkov said.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced a decision on Thursday morning to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from their participation in the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, which kick off today in China’s Beijing.

The world’s governing body of the Paralympic sports revised on March 3 its previous decision, voiced on March 2 allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the much-anticipated quadrennial Winter Paralympics event and banned them from taking part in the 2022 Paralympics.

The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing are scheduled for March 4-13. During the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015, Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games making the Chinese capital the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2008) as well as the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2022).

Russian Paralympians at Beijing-2022

Due to international sanctions against Russian sports, athletes from Russia were obliged to participate in the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games under the flag and logo of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem.

The national anthem of Russia was also under sanctions at the Paralympic Games in China. The First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was selected to be played at awarding ceremonies for Russian Paralympians in Beijing.