Para-athletes from Russia will be allowed to compete at next year’s Paralympics after officials voted against a full ban.

Russia has been suspended from Paralympic competition since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Games in 2024 start on 28 August.

Para-athletes from Russia will also now be able to enter world and regional championships, plus permitted competitions in the six sports for which the IPC acts as international federation, in a neutral capacity.

Later on Friday, the IPC will discuss the membership status of the NPC of Belarus, whose athletes and para-athletes have also faced sanctions because of the country’s support of the war in Ukraine.

In statement, the IPC said: “IPC members voted 90-56 in favour of a motion to partially suspend NPC Russia (with six members abstaining).

“This decision was taken after members initially voted against a motion to fully suspend NPC Russia by 74-65 (with 13 abstentions). For a motion to be passed, a 50%+ 1 result of all votes cast was required.”

The IPC’s decision at its general assembly in Bahrain on Friday comes two weeks before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meets to discuss the participation of Russia and Belarus at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Competitors from both countries were not allowed to take part as neutrals at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing in March 2022 after the IPC were criticised for originally saying they could.

Andrew Parsons, president of the IPC, said the organisation was “very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix”.

In May 2023, an appeal by Russia and Belarus against their suspension by the IPC was upheld – but they remain banned from world championship events.

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s ban on competing at international events dates back to 2016, when the McLaren report detailed a Russian state-sponsored doping programme.

The IPC blocked para-athletes from taking part in the Paralympic Games in Rio, and said it had also found evidence that samples were swapped during the Sochi Games in 2014.

Russia appealed against the 2016 suspension, but the decision was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Three years later, the IPC lifted its ban on Russian para-athletes – but under strict conditions. However, at the end of 2019, World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) handed Russia a four-year ban from all major sporting events.

In 2021, Russian para-athletes were allowed to enter the Covid-delayed 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo under a neutral flag using the initials of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC).