Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine overshadows the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. “Hide it out completely doesn’t work,” said monoskier Anna-Lena Forster to “SID”: “You somehow notice it and think about it. Of course, that also scares you.”
Biathlon world champion Anja Wicker was “briefly shocked after the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to admit the athletes from Russia and Belarus in Beijing. It’s an exciting decision, I don’t know how you can come up with that.” Unfortunately, that takes away the anticipation,” said the Stuttgart native: “One wonders what one is actually doing here.”
With a view to the competition, the “political situation doesn’t play any role at all” for ski racer Andrea Rothfuss. In the standing class, the 13-time medalist meets gold medalist Varvara Voronchikhina. “She’s the same person as before,” Rothfuss said of the Russian: “Somehow we all belong to one big family.”
The IPC decided on Wednesday that the Russian and Belarusian athletes would be allowed to compete neutrally and under the Paralympic flag. Both associations are also not included in the medal table. The German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) had sharply criticized the decision.