The delegation of Neutral Individual Athletes (AIN) carrying a Russian passport to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was initially expected to number 90 athletes. There are finally 88 of them. The difference? Two of the athletes declared eligible by the IPC, and accredited by the COJO Paris 2024, had their visas for France refused. The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) explains in a press release that “ the French government rejected the request of the IPC and the Organizing Committee of the Games to issue visas to two athletes, Russian citizens. This is unacceptable for a country that hosts such important sporting events as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We consider the refusal to issue visas to Paralympic athletes, Russian citizens, as another step towards the politicization of sport. » The identity of the two rejected athletes was not communicated, but the RPC ensures that they, like the other members of the delegation, had successfully passed the eligibility process set up by the IPC, guaranteeing their neutrality. .
