Moscow Disappointed With IPC Banning Russian Paralympians From 2018 Qualifying

Russia is disappointed with the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to ban the country’s athletes from participating in the qualifying events for the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in South Korea, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The IPC announced the decision to deny Russian athletes access to qualifying rounds for the Paralympic Games on Monday, without providing any explanation for the rejection.

"We are extremely disappointed with the decision by the International Paralympic Committee to refuse the request of the Russian Paralympic Committee for allowing Russian athletes into qualifying events for 2018 Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang," Zakharova said at a press briefing.

Zakharova added that the decision would set up a serious obstacle to Russian athletes’ participation in the Winter Games in South Korea.

On August 7, 2016 the IPC announced suspension of Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) membership and ban on Russian Paralympic athletes from 2016 Games in Brazil after considering the report by World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) commission led by Richard McLaren.

On January 31, the IPC said the RPC membership could be reinstated prior to the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games if Russia meets the reinstatement criteria in full by that time.