00:00A big, big mistake.
00:01That is how a Ukrainian Olympian described the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian
00:06athletes to compete under their national flags in the upcoming Paralympic Games, for the
00:11first time since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
00:15Skeleton racer Vladisav Vraskevich has condemned the decision from the International Paralympic
00:22Committee, particularly criticising the inclusion of former soldiers within the Russian team.
00:45Rasković was disqualified from the skeleton race at the Milan Games last week for wearing
00:50a helmet featuring images of fellow Ukrainian athletes killed during the war.
00:54The Olympic Committee has said the images constituted propaganda and were in contravention
00:59of its charter.
01:01The irony is not lost on Ukrainians, who today expressed outrage at the IPC's decision in
01:07Kyiv.
01:10The Russian Federation has attacked our country, is killing people and has committed countless
01:16war crimes.
01:17And the world continues to look away.
01:19I believe it is unacceptable for their athletes to participate in any competition.
01:29It is a very alarming trend to see that, over time, Russians and Belarusians are gradually regaining
01:35access to the cultural sphere from which they were removed at the start of the full-scale
01:40invasion.
01:41People are beginning to forget why these measures were taken and why they were excluded in the
01:46first place.
01:52Ten Russian and Belarusian para-athletes will compete in next month's Paralympics in alpine
01:57skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding.
02:01Ukrainian officials are to boycott the Games, and the EU Sports Commissioner has said he will
02:06not attend the opening ceremony in protest.
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