The Spectator newsletter reports:

Italy, host of the Winter Paralympic Games, has called for a reversal of organisers’ decision to let ten Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s event. Quite reasonably, Italy’s government argued that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine contradicted the Olympic spirit. No word yet from Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, who has cancelled a press conference today without explanation.

The Olympic spirit was contradicted when athletes were banned for political reasons.

Everyone understands that the Olympic spirit is dead and has been ever since any athletes were banned for political reasons.

Bans that only apply to some athletes - for example, there is no ban on Israeli athletes for the Gazacide by Israel.

The USA kidnapping and assassination of foreign leaders and contraventions of international law are also ignored by Italy in its highly selective singling out of Russia for banning.

So this is all more Russophobic nonsense.