LONDON, Nov. 12 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
We, as Ministers and equivalent senior representatives for sport of our like-minded countries as well as the European Commission, have noted the announcement by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) of 27 September 2025 that IPC member organisations have voted not to maintain the partial suspensions of the National Paralympic Committees of Belarus and Russia.
We fully respect and recognise the independence and autonomy of sports organisations, and that this was a vote by the IPC membership. We also maintain a strong belief in the unifying spirit of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. However, we view this development with serious concern, given that the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues and the Russian and Belarusian breaches of the Olympic Charter remain.
Indeed, we recall that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and IPC sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian Olympic and Paralympic Committees stemmed from the violation of the Olympic Truce, through Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine facilitated by Belarus, launched on 24 February 2022 while the Truce was still in effect.
We note that the IOC in contrast announced on 19 September 2025 that they will be maintaining their stance of ensuring no Russian or Belarusian state representation at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. We welcome the IOC's announcement and their maintenance of their suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee for breaches of the Olympic Charter, including its violation of the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
We also note the IPC's update of 23 October that in practice no Russian or Belarusian athletes are now likely to qualify for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. We call upon the IPC to clarify what the decision of their members will mean for paralympic sports events beyond the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, and for those areas under the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied.
We also call upon individual International Federations to continue to follow the IOC stance to ensure no Russian or Belarusian state representation in their sports.
Signed by:
Australia
The Hon Anika Wells MP, Minister for Sport
Austria
Michaela Schmidt, State Secretary for Sport
Belgium
Gregor Freches, Minister for Sport, Culture, Tourism and Media of the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Also signing on behalf of colleagues: Jacqueline Galant, Minister for Sport, Civil Service, Administrative Simplification and Media of the French Community of Belgium; Annick De Ridder, Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sport for the Flemish Government
Canada
Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport)
Croatia
Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sport
Cyprus
Dr Athena Michaelidou, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth
Czech Republic
Mikulaš Bek, Minister for Education, Youth and Sports Ondřej Šebek, President of the National Sports Agency
Denmark
Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Minister for Culture
Estonia
Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture
Finland
Mika Poutala, Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity
France
Marina Ferrari, Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life
Germany
Dr. Christiane Schenderlein, State Minister for Sport and Volunteering
Greece
Ioannis Vroutsis, Alternate Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport
Iceland
Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson, Minister of Education and Children
Ireland
Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy
Italy
Andrea Abodi, Minister for Sport and Youth
Japan
MATSUMOTO Yohei, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Republic of Korea
H.E. CHAE Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Latvia
Dace Melbarde, Minister of Education and Science
Liechtenstein
Hubert Büchel, Minister of Home Affairs, Economy and Sports
Lithuania
Raminta Popovienė, Minister of Education, Science and Sport
Luxembourg
Georges Mischo, Minister of Sport
Netherlands
Judith Tielen, Minister for Youth, Prevention and Sport
New Zealand
Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Sport and Recreation
Norway
Lubna Jaffery, Minister of Culture and Equality
Poland
Jakub Rutnicki, Minister of Sport and Tourism
Portugal
Margarida Balseiro Lopes, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport
Romania
Constantin Bogdan Matei, President of the National Sports Agency
Slovenia
Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport
Spain
Pilar Alegría Continente, Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sport
Sweden
Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health
Ukraine
Matvii Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports
United Kingdom
The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
European Commission
Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport on behalf of the European Commission
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
