Russian Lawmakers Offer to Discuss Political Neutrality in Sports in UN

The Federation Council, the Russian parliament's upper chamber, will consider on Wednesday a proposal to put political neutrality in sports on the agenda of the UN Human Rights Council, according to the draft statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The doping scandal, simmering since 2014, escalated in July when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) presented a report accusing Russia of running a state-wide doping program and urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to consider a blanket ban on the entire Russian team. The IOC instead opted to let individual sports federations decide on the matter.

"The Federation Council deems it important to draw attention of foreign legislators to violations of athletes' rights occurring in the Olympic and Paralympic movements in a bid to discuss the situation in inter-Parliamentary organizations," the blueprint of the document said.

The International Paralympic Committee banned all Russian Paralympic athletes from the 2016 Summer Paralympics and 2018 Winter Games.

The legislators condemned political bias during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, labeling suspension of the Russian Paralympians from the Rio Games "a dangerous precedent."

"We should strongly condemn and stop the practice of exerting pressure on sport organization by government agencies, politicians and media," the draft statement added.