The International Paralympic Committee bars Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in Beijing

• Russia and Belarus have been barred from the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games.
• As recently as Wednesday, the IPC said the countries' athletes could compete under neutral banners.

Russia and Belarus are out of the 2022 Beijing Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee reversed its initial decision to let athletes from the two nations compete under neutral banners.

Paralympians representing the two countries were initially allowed to "participate as neutrals" at the Beijing Games, per a Wednesday decision by the IPC. According to the IPC's statement, those athletes would compete under the Paralympic flag and not be added to any medal standings.

In its statement, the IPC said it would "not hold any events in Russia or Belarus until further notice."

A day later, the organization reversed its decision. In a Thursday statement, the IPC said it would decline athlete entries from Russia and Belarus for the Beijing Games following a special meeting.

"This means that Para athletes from these respective countries will no longer be allowed to participate in the Games which open on 4 March 2022," the statement said.

The IPC's president, Andrew Parsons, said during a press conference Thursday: "In taking our decision yesterday we were looking at the long-term health and survival of the Paralympic Movement. We are fiercely proud of the principles and values that have made the Movement what it is today."

"However, what is clear is that the rapidly escalating situation has now put us in a unique and impossible position so close to the start of the Games," Parsons added. He said athletes had threatened not to compete in the Beijing Games if the IPC didn't reconsider its decision.

"Ensuring the safety and security of athletes is of paramount importance to us and the situation in the athlete villages is escalating and has now become untenable," Parsons said.

He added: "To the Para athletes from the impacted countries, we are very sorry that you are affected by the decisions your governments took last week in breaching the Olympic Truce. You are victims of your governments' actions."

The IPC's decision follows a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee, the Olympics' governing body, to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sporting events.

Other sporting organizations, like the International Skating Union, have barred Russian athletes from competing internationally in tournaments. FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian teams from competing until further notice, as did the FIVB, volleyball's governing body.

The IPC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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