Faced with threats to return to Athletes Village and growing hostility, organizers of the Winter Paralympics reversed course on Thursday and expelled athletes from Russia and Belarus.
The nearly face-off came less than 24 hours after the International Paralympic Committee announced it would allow Russians and Belarusians to compete when the Games begin on Friday, but only as neutral athletes in colours, flags and others. The national symbols were removed due to the invasion of Ukraine. ,
The Paralympics in Beijing, which follows the Winter Olympics, will kick off on March 13.
IPC President Andrew Parsons said on Thursday after the ban was announced, "There is a war in these games and behind the scenes many governments are influencing our important event." "We were trying to save the Games from war."
Parsons said the IPC underestimated the negative reaction to competing Russians and Belarusians - even as neutral athletes. Athletes Village, which Parsons hoped would be a place of harmony, is now depicted as a tinderbox.
And it was not only Ukrainians opposing Russian and Belarusian participation, but across the board.
"We don't have any reports of aggression or any specific incidents like that," Parsons said. "But it was a very volatile environment in the (athlete's) village.
"It was a very rapid escalation that we didn't think was going to happen. We didn't think that the entire delegation, or even the teams within the delegation, would back out, boycott, not participate "
The first instance came when Latvia stated that its curlers would refuse to play against the Russians in a scheduled group game.
IPC spokesman Craig Spence told athletes, administrators and politicians a big change in just 12 hours. He said that "Now we are thinking of going home. We are not playing."
"That threatens the viability of this event. So it's a huge change," Spence said. "The atmosphere in the village is not pleasant."
Parsons said he expected legal action from the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic committees, which he said he feared on Wednesday when he decided his athletes could compete. The likely location is the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"We believe that the Russian Paralympic Committee and the Belarusian Paralympic Committee can take legal action," Parsons said. "But the facts that we express here led us to believe it was the right decision."
The Russian Paralympic Committee called the decision to expel its athletes "baseless" and "illegal".
"(Russian athletes) have not done anything that could be interpreted as adding to the current political complexities," the RPC said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also condemned the decision, calling it an "insult".
"The situation is monstrous," said Peskov. "Yesterday a decision was taken and today they took another."
Parsons said he understood the disappointment of the 71 Russians and 12 Belarusians who would be sent home. He said he did not know how soon this would happen, especially in China with severe COVID-19 restrictions.
"No one is happy with this decision but it is certainly the best decision for the Paralympic Games," Parsons said.
The IPC now joins football, track, basketball, hockey and other sports that have placed a complete ban on Russians and Belarusians.
The International Olympic Committee on Monday urged sports organizations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from international events, but left the final decision up to individual governing bodies.
The IOC has been slow to crack down on Russia, allowing its athletes to compete in the last four Olympics following a state-sponsored doping scandal and coverup at the 2014 Sochi Games. The IOC has also not removed membership or leadership positions in its organization from Russians.
Parsons also addressed the Russian and Belarusian athletes directly, saying it was not their fault.
"To the para athletes from the affected countries, we are deeply sorry that you have been affected by the decisions your governments took last week to breach the Olympic Truth," Parsons said. "You are a victim of the actions of your governments."