BEIJING—Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from the Winter Paralympics in Beijing on the eve of the Games following threats of boycotts by other teams over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said. Belarus has been a key staging area for the full-scale invasion Russia launched on Ukraine a week ago. Thursday’s decision comes a day after the IPC gave athletes from the two countries the green light to participate in the March 4–13 Games as neutrals, saying the “athletes were not the aggressors”. But that led to an outcry and threats from other countries’ National Paralympic Committees (NPC) to boycott the Games, IPC President Andrew Parsons told a news conference in Beijing. “They told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is now likely to have grave consequences for the Winter Games,” Parsons said. “Multiple NPCs, some of which have been contacted by …