MOSCOW, 16 Mar. Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the sanctions imposed by a number of countries against Russian athletes, said that with this step, Western states trampled on the Olympic and Paralympic principles. politicians,» Putin said during a meeting on measures of socio-economic support for the regions of the Russian Federation. On February 28, the IOC recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions due to the situation around Russia and Ukraine. On March 2, the teams of Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate in the Paralympics in Beijing, but after 17 hours, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) changed its mind and banned them from participating in the Games.
