MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. The Russian athletes who chose to participate in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris are very courageous, country’s Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev told TASS on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Spokesman Craig Spence told TASS that 90 Russian athletes had been cleared to participate in the Paris Paralympic Games this year.
"Russian Paralympians, who managed to qualify and decided to travel [to Paris] showed courage," Degtyarev said speaking at a roundtable discussion in Moscow dubbed "Degradation of the Olympic Movement: How the Olympic Games became divisive."
"Did I cheer for our athletes at the [2024] Olympic Games? Of course I did. And I followed all of their accomplishments. As a sports official, I’ve always kept track of their results and rooted for them."
The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games will be held in the French capital of Paris between August 28 and September 8.
In early August, RPC President Rozhkov told TASS that the IPC had preliminarily approved 92 Russian athletes to take part in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in France. However, the final decision on the delegation of Russian Paralympians was to be made shortly thereafter.
Russia plans to send 48 track and field athletes, 35 swimmers, five table tennis players, two triathletes and two taekwondo fighters to the 2024 Summer Paralympics in France.
Russia's route to 2024 Paris Paralympics
On March 6, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) published strict eligibility criteria that Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnel must meet and adhere to in order to participate as neutrals at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
According to the IPC’s requirements "Neutral athletes will compete under a white flag featuring black lettering spelling out NPA [Neutral Paralympic Athletes]." The IPC also ruled that "NPA will compete as individuals in neutral uniforms under an NPA flag, and will not be able to take part in medals ceremonies or march in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies."
On September 29, 2023, the IPC General Assembly ruled at its session in Bahrain to suspend some of the rights the RPC has within the global organization.
However, the IPC General Assembly cleared Russian athletes to participate under a neutral status in international competition, including at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
In mid-March this year, RPC President Rozhkov told TASS that Russian Paralympians and accompanying staff would don turquoise and beige at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
"They will wear varying shades of turquoise and beige… In line with the requirements on the neutral status participation of athletes, all national colors are prohibited from being displayed on uniforms and, in our case, this means the white, blue and red colors," Rozhkov said at that time.
The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games will be held in the French capital of Paris between August 28 and September 8.
In early August, RPC President Rozhkov told TASS that the IPC had preliminarily approved 92 Russian athletes to take part in the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in France. However, the final decision on the delegation of Russian Paralympians was to be made shortly thereafter.
Russia plans to send 48 track and field athletes, 35 swimmers, five table tennis players, two triathletes and two taekwondo fighters to the 2024 Summer Paralympics in France.