Rio Paralympics 2016: Russia banned after losing appeal
Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva did not compete at the Olympics as Russia's athletics team was banned
Russia will not compete at next
month’s Paralympics in Rio after losing an appeal against a ban imposed
for state-sponsored doping.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) upheld the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) ban on all Russian competitors. The IPC made the decision after the McLaren report detailed a Russian state-sponsored doping programme.
Margarita
Goncharova, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist in athletics, is
among the Russians who will miss out on competing in Rio
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described the decision as "cynical". Medvedev
said "certain leaders of the Paralympic movement" wanted to "squeeze
out strong competitors", and he went on to call the decision "a blow to
all people with disabilities, not just Russians".
The Cas panel,
which plans to publish the full grounds for its decision later, said the
IPC's decision to ban the entire Russian team "was proportionate in the
circumstances".
It added that the Russian Paralympic Committee did not file any evidence contradicting the facts put forward by the IPC. The Paralympics begin on 7 September.
Russia will not compete at next
month’s Paralympics in Rio after losing an appeal against a ban imposed
for state-sponsored doping.
