Russia's Paralympic path toward Los Angeles 2028 is reopening
The decision by the International Paralympic Committee to lift the remaining restrictions on the Russian and Belarusian national Paralympic committees has opened a new, politically sensitive chapter in international parasport. Although the decision formally concerns membership status within the IPC, its consequences are much broader: Russian athletes once again have an institutional path toward international qualifications, including the cycle for the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. In practice, this does not mean the automatic participation of every Russian athlete in future competitions, but it does mean that Russia is no longer in the same position as after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Russian and Belarusian athletes faced the strictest restrictions in international sport.
According to the IPC announcement, the decision was made at the General Assembly in Seoul, where the members did not support the continuation of either the full or partial suspension of Russia and Belarus. For Russia, the proposal for full suspension was rejected by a vote of 111 against and 55 in favor, with 11 abstentions, while the proposal for partial suspension was rejected by 91 votes against and 77 in favor, with eight abstentions. For Belarus, the members also rejected both full and partial suspension, meaning that both national Paralympic committees regained the full rights and privileges of IPC membership. Such an outcome represents a shift compared with the period after the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when international sports organizations introduced various models of exclusion, neutral status or limited participation.
The IPC decision does not mean an automatic ticket to LA28
The most important practical consequence of the decision is that Russian and Belarusian athletes can once again seek a path toward qualification through systems run by international sports federations. The Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will be held from August 15 to 27, 2028, and LA28 organizers state that this will be the first time Los Angeles has hosted the Paralympic Games. The IPC has previously confirmed a programme for LA28 with 22 sports, 552 medal events and a total of 4,480 quota places, with para climbing also included in the programme. That is precisely why the decision on Russia's status is not only a question of the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, but also the beginning of a longer-term qualification period for the next major summer Paralympic cycle.
Still, membership status in the IPC is not the same as an automatic right to compete. Qualifications for individual sports depend on the rules of international federations, quotas, classifications, anti-doping requirements and the competition calendar. This means that Russian athletes, if they want to reach Los Angeles, will have to fit into the qualification processes of each individual sport. Some international federations still have their own restrictions toward Russia and Belarus, and some rules may differ from IPC decisions. For that reason, the most precise way to say it is that Russia has had its path toward LA28 opened, but not a guaranteed appearance in all sports or under all conditions.
Milano Cortina 2026 showed how complex the process is
The example of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games showed that the IPC decision does not remove all obstacles. In October 2025, the IPC stated that the positions of the international federations for skiing, biathlon and curling at that time practically prevented Russian and Belarusian athletes from qualifying in part of the winter disciplines, while in para ice hockey the qualification process had already progressed too far. Later, according to reports by international media and confirmation sent by the IPC to the media, six Russian and four Belarusian athletes nevertheless received the right to compete in Milan and Cortina under national flags. That return provoked sharp reactions from Ukraine and some European countries, because it happened while the war in Ukraine was still ongoing.
According to an Associated Press report, the Russian flag and anthem returned to the Paralympic stage after more than a decade of absence, and Russian athletes received places in para alpine skiing, para cross-country skiing and para snowboard. The Guardian reported that Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi called the decision disappointing and unacceptable and announced a boycott of official events. Le Monde reported that the Ukrainian delegation, with the support of some other countries, boycotted the opening ceremony in Verona. Such developments show that the decision on Russia's sporting status remains an issue that goes beyond sports administration and directly enters the sphere of diplomacy, war responsibility and the symbolism of national emblems.
Russia is building a new athlete base among war veterans
A particularly sensitive part of the story concerns Russian war veterans who are joining parasport. The Moscow Times, citing an investigation by the media outlet Vot Tak, reported that Russia is investing significant funds in including wounded participants of the war in Ukraine in Paralympic disciplines. According to the same report, the president of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Pavel Rozhkov, stated that at least 70 war veterans are already in national teams in various parasports, while around 700 are competing in regional squads. These figures have not been independently confirmed through an official international sports database, but they are important because they show the direction in which Russian sports institutions are publicly presenting their programme.
Ukrainian authorities claim that some Russian athletes and sports structures are being used to promote the war and normalize Russian aggression. In March 2026, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced sanctions against ten Russian individuals connected with Paralympic sport, stating that they had participated in the war against Ukraine and used sporting events to justify Russian aggression and occupation. Such claims further burden the debate about Russia's return to international parasport, because they raise the question of whether sports institutions can effectively distinguish athletes who truly meet the criteria of neutrality from those who are connected with the military, propaganda or occupation structures.
The difference between the Paralympic and Olympic approaches
The IPC decision differs from the approach of the International Olympic Committee toward Russia and Belarus. After the invasion of Ukraine, the IOC introduced strict restrictions, and Russian and Belarusian athletes in many competitions were able to compete only as individual neutral athletes, without a flag, anthem or national emblems. In the context of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Associated Press reported that the Russian Olympic Committee remains suspended, while athletes from Russia and Belarus face different rules in the Olympic system than in the Paralympic system.
This difference creates additional tension among sports organizations. After the IPC decision, the European Paralympic Committee warned that international federations are in a complex situation because the Paralympic and Olympic approaches may diverge. If one system allows the return of national committees, while the other maintains neutral status or suspensions, athletes, organizers and host countries face inconsistent rules. For the qualification cycle toward LA28, this means that decisions will have to be interpreted sport by sport, and not as one single political or legal decision that automatically applies to all of international sport.
Ukraine warns of the political cost of return
Ukraine sees the IPC decision as a dangerous precedent. Kyiv argues that Russian sport cannot be viewed separately from state policy while the aggression against Ukraine continues, while Russian institutions present the decision as a return to the principle of non-discrimination in sport. A British government statement after the IPC decision said that the IPC was being asked for clarification on what the decision would mean for events after the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games and for the areas under the Ukrainian national Paralympic committee that Russia has temporarily occupied. This directly links the debate to the issue of jurisdiction, territory and the sporting rights of athletes from occupied areas.
Ukrainian objections are not limited only to the symbolism of the flag and anthem. According to a statement by the office of the Ukrainian president, the sanctions against Russian Paralympic actors were also shaped on the basis of a petition by Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who during the Olympic cycle warned about killed Ukrainian athletes and coaches. The Ukrainian side argues that international sport cannot simultaneously punish Ukrainian athletes for commemorative messages and allow the return of Russian state symbols. This is the politically most sensitive point of the entire debate, because the neutrality of sport in practice collides with the fact that the war continues to shape the lives of athletes, coaches and clubs.
What the decision means for Los Angeles 2028
For LA28, the IPC decision means that Russian and Belarusian athletes, if they meet sporting, classification and administrative requirements, will be able to appear in the qualification system under conditions that are no longer determined by the full or partial suspension of their national Paralympic committees. This is a major institutional change compared with Paris 2024, when Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete only as neutral individuals and without national emblems. In Los Angeles, depending on the final rules of individual sports and political developments, they could again compete on a broader scale, but for now there is no single decision that would guarantee a full return in all disciplines.
Organizationally, LA28 will be the next major summer test of the international Paralympic system's ability to harmonize sporting rights, anti-doping rules, classification, security requirements and political pressure. The IPC programme with 4,480 quota places and 552 medal events means that the qualification system will be large and complex, and every decision on Russian and Belarusian participation may have consequences for the quotas of other countries. Particular attention will be paid to sports in which Russia traditionally has strong Paralympic results, as well as disciplines in which athletes connected with military structures or war narratives appear.
Sport between universality and responsibility
The IPC bases its decision on a membership vote and the rules of its own organization, but the political effect of the decision cannot be avoided. Supporters of return emphasize that athletes with disabilities should not be collectively punished because of the decisions of states, while opponents warn that the Russian state uses sport as a means of international legitimation. In parasport, this debate is additionally sensitive because the principle of inclusiveness, which is the foundation of the Paralympic movement, is now facing the question of responsibility for war, occupation and propaganda.
More than two years remain until the start of the Games in Los Angeles, but the qualification and political processes have already opened. After the IPC decision, Russia's administrative path toward LA28 has been opened, but that path will not depend only on sporting results. It will also depend on the rules of international federations, reactions from host countries and partners, assessment of individual athletes' links with the war, anti-doping supervision, and whether the international sports system will be able to explain where it draws the line between athletes' right to compete and responsibility toward the country that is the victim of aggression.
Sources:
- International Paralympic Committee – decision of the General Assembly on the status of the Russian and Belarusian national Paralympic committees (link)
- International Paralympic Committee – update on the potential participation of Russia and Belarus at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games (link)
- International Paralympic Committee – programme and quotas for the LA28 Paralympic Games (link)
- LA28 – official information on the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 (link)
- Associated Press – report on the lifting of partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus in the IPC (link)
- Associated Press – report on the return of the Russian flag and anthem at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games (link)
- The Moscow Times – report on the inclusion of Russian war veterans in Paralympic sport (link)
- Office of the President of Ukraine – announcement on sanctions against Russian individuals connected with Paralympic sport (link)
- GOV.UK – statement on the IPC decision regarding the Russian and Belarusian national Paralympic committees (link)