“I have deep sympathy for Russian Para athletes who will miss out on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
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At a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Philip Craven, IPC president, referred to the widespread state-sponsored doping program in Russian Federation, which, according to WADA’s independent report on state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation from 18 July, also included a large number of disabled athletes.
Michael Roeger is favourite to win gold in the 1500 metres at the Rio Paralympics.
“Everything we have observed goes against the very spirit of sport and everything the Paralympic movement stands for”. This is why we feel that we had no option but to take this action. It shows a blatant disregard for the health and well-being of athletes and, quite simply, has no place in Paralympic sport.
“Tragically this situation is not about athletes cheating a system, but about a state-run system that is cheating the athletes”, Craven said.
“Forty-one para athletes from the Moscow region are member of the Russian Paralympic team”, Teryushkov added. “The medals over morals attitude disgusts me”.
Russian Federation will not be allowed to send athletes to the Paralympic Games after the International Paralympic Committee suspended Russian Federation on Sunday in response to the country’s state-sponsored doping program.
“Every Russian athlete should be given the opportunity to prove their innocence. And on this basis we were banned”.
“The IPC has made the right decision, the one that the International Olympic Committee should have made”.
“However, a decision was made on this ground to suspend the RPC’s membership”.
Australian Paralympic Committee chief executive Lynne Anderson joined Roeger in applauding the ban. At the same time, the International Olympic Committee also decided that any Russians with previous doping sanctions would be barred from the games. The IPC, however, have taken an entirely opposite stance, choosing instead to refuse the country access to the Games, which are due to start on September 5th.
The Russian government reacted angrily, promising to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“It is prejudice and politicisation”.
As part of the International Olympic Committee’s decision not to throw the entire Russian team out of the Olympics, Efimova was initially banned along with six other Russian swimmers who either had positive tests on their record or were named in an investigation of Russia’s massive, state-sanctioned doping scheme.
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Roeger will finish off his Games preparation with a race in NY at the end of the month.
