Photo/Illutration Athletes from the Russian Paralympic Committee respond during an interview with a Russian TV outlet at the athletes village in Zhangjiakou, China, on March 3. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Sometimes, the Paralympics are visually more compelling than the Olympics as a “festival of peace.”

A former Georgian soldier who was blown up by a landmine in Afghanistan and lost most of both of his legs competed in the Pyeongchang Paralympics in South Korea in 2018.

The skier said he was inspired to follow the example of many veterans who did not let their injuries interfere with their determination to play sports in the United States where he underwent rehabilitation.

He told an Asahi Shimbun reporter that he hoped athletes coming together for the Paralympics from around the world would “lead to peace.”

Unfortunately, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made that difficult at the Beijing Paralympics.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing in the Games.

The IPC initially allowed their participation as individual, neutral athletes. But the decision was met with immediate protests from athletes of various nationalities, who threatened to pull out of the Games.

It was “a very, very volatile environment” in the athletes village, according to IPC President Andrew Parsons.

While I can appreciate the inevitability of this policy change, I also feel uneasy.

It is difficult to target only politicians in any sanctions. Economic sanctions affect the lives of people, and barring athletes from an event deprives them of an opportunity to perform.

The IPC must have reluctantly reached its decision, but let us bear in mind that the punishment was intended for those who ordered their country into war, not the people.

A Russian tennis player wrote “No War Please” on a TV camera lens at a recent international championship.

I suppose there will be no chance of seeing such a scene in Beijing.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 5

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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