Brazil’s Paralympic Committee Regrets Russian Paralympic Team’s Ban

The Brazilian Paralympic Committee (BPC) said Tuesday that it regretted the blanket ban from the Rio Olympics imposed on Russian para-athletes over a doping scandal, but accepted the necessity of the decision made by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

RIO DE JANEIRO (Sputnik) — On Sunday, BPC Chairman Andrew Parsons said that Russia’s disqualification from this year’s Paralympic Games was a big loss to the competition as many of the Russian para-athletes were expected to win podium places.

"The Brazilian Paralympic Committee regrets the situation, in which the Russian delegation is, but understands that the International Paralympic Committee had to make a very difficult decision for the future of the Paralympic sport," the statement obtained by Sputnik reads.

IPC President Philip Craven announced the imposition of a blanket ban on Russian Paralympic athletes on Sunday, giving the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) an opportunity to appeal the decision until August 28.

Earlier on Tuesday, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Alexander Zhukov said that Russian Paralympic athletes deserved to participate in the Rio Games as most of them were absolutely clean. According to Zhukov, the ban introduced due to political pressure.