Know more about the meaning of the NPA term as it is being widely used in the Paris Paralympics 2024 and more about the country
For the unversed, more than 4,000 athletes from 184 countries have gathered in Paris for the Paralympic Games 2024.
However, there are various athletes who is competing under the banner of the NPA, but what exactly does it mean? Letโs find out together!
What is the NPA country in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, full form, meaning and para-athletes rules explained
For the curious, NPA means the Neutral Paralympic Athletes. The term is used for those athletes who are banned from the Olympics and Paralympics due to the ongoing invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
The athletes who are participating under the banner of the NPA are mostly from countries like Russia and Belarus.
These athletes are competing in neutral uniforms and they arenโt allowed to display any national flags, colors, names or symbols of their countries.
SECOND GOLD FOR CLEGG! ๐ฅ๐ฅ
๐ฌ๐ง Stephen Clegg grabs his second Paralympic gold medal after winning in the men's 100m butterfly S12.
๐ฅ Dzmitry Salei (NPA)
๐ฅ Raman Salei ๐ฆ๐ฟ#ParaSwimming #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/hjjgJwB1A2— Para Swimming (@Para_swimming) September 7, 2024
Flag For NPA Athletes
However, they are competing in the games while being represented by a white flag with black โNPA,โ lettering, which is being used on the Television graphics and during the award ceremonies.
As per the rules of the Paralympics 2024, any kind of display of Russian or Belarusian flags or symbols of colors is strictly prohibited at the Paris Paralympics Games in all the events across venues.
Medals of NPA Athletes
For those wondering, the medals won by the NPA athletes will not be counted in the official medal tally of the country. In addition, if any NPA athletes managed to clinch a gold medal, the Paralympics anthem will be played for their victorious moment instead of their national anthem.
These athletesโ were also not included in the Opening ceremony march and will not be able to participate at the flag bearer event during the closing ceremony which is set to be held on September 8, 2024.
๐จ WORLD RECORD ALERT ๐จ
Daria Lukianenko (NPA) breaks the 6-year-old world record in the women's 100m freestyle S11 and grabs her third ๐ฅ at #Paris2024. She finished the race in 1:04.88.
๐ฅ Liesette Bruinsma ๐ณ๐ฑ
๐ฅ Xiaotong Zhang ๐จ๐ณ #ParaSwimming #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/ZOoJ9Tz7yt— Para Swimming (@Para_swimming) September 7, 2024
Moreover, Russia and Belarus are barred from entering any team sports in the Paris Paralympics 2024. Before their registration to the games, all NPA athletes have undergone a strict background check by the International Paralympic Committee.
The background checks of the NPA athletes were done to ensure that they arenโt supported by the war or that they donโt have any military affiliations.
Let us remind you, similar rules were applied to the Russian and Belarusian athletes during the Paris Olympics 2024, leading some popular athletes, like Russian player Andrey Rublev, who clinched gold in tennis doubles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, to decline the participation in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Difference between Olympics & Paralympics
The main difference between Olympics 2024 and Paralympics 2024 is that the NPA athletes are allowed to compete in athletics event at the Paralympics games, while their Olympic counterparts were barred from track and field events.
As compared to Olympics 2024, three times as many athletes from Russia and Belarus are participating in the Paralympics 2024 games as they are allowed to participate in the track and field games, with 88 athletes coming from Russia and 8 from Belarus.
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