The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) announced on Tuesday that they had upheld the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) ban on all Russian competitors.
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“The IPC’s position is in stark contrast to the waffling of the IOC prior to the recently concluded Olympic Games”, said Mosher.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev denounced the doping charges as a “thick and very nasty cocktail” and said the Paralympic ban constituted a “cynical” attempt by rivals to remove strong competitors from the Games.
Although not widely followed or celebrated in Russia, where rights campaigners say many disabled people are marginalised by regressive social attitudes and inadequate state support, Russian para-athletes are some of the best in the world.
The Court for Arbitration in Sport has weighed in on the Russian Paralympics Team’s appeal, and it has decided that the controversial team would not be participating in the upcoming 2016 Rio Paralympics.
The Paralympics ban was the latest blow to Russian sport, which has been condemned by a mountain of doping allegations in recent months.
The IPC had gone further than the International Olympic Committee, which stopped short of a blanket ban on Russia at this month’s Rio Olympics, leaving the decision instead in the hands of international sports federations. The disturbing findings were found by the World Anti-Doping Agency. “Exclusions are always tragic, but there are rules in sport and anyone who doesn’t follow them gets shown a red card”, he added.
IPC President Philip Craven has laid the blame on the Russian government, whom he believes has wronged its athletes.
The Paralympics, held every four years for athletes with disabilities, has taken place in various forms since 1948 but has grown in importance over the past 20 years.
With Russia excluded from the Paralympics, the IPC said it will now “redistribute the 267 slots that had been secured by Russian athletes to compete”.
The ban, running from September 7 to 18, affects more than 250 Russian athletes slated to compete in the 2016 Rio Paralympics that will last 11 days.
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Their team topped the medal table at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in the Russian city of Sochi after taking second place behind China at London 2012.
