Russia, IPC agree on arbitration court hearing

The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have signed an agreement on filing an RPC lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), RPC press service has said.

"Chairman of the Executive Board, First Vice-President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Pavel Rozhkov has said the RPC and the IPC signed an arbitration agreement on August 11, 2016," the report said on Thursday.

"It has been submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sports."

"Court hearings will take place on August 21, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro," the report added.

"The substantive provisions of the CAS ruling will be made public before midnight on August 22."

"In line with the agreement, the RPC will file an application for appeal with the CAS before noon on August 15, 2016," the committee said.

Businessman Andrei Ryabinsky, vice-president of the Professional Boxing Federation of Russia (FPBR), will provide lawyers and will pay up the expenses.

"The removal of our Paralympic team dumbfounded me with its brazen insolence," Ryabinsky said on Thursday.

"I contacted the RPC as I thought they didn't have lawyers of a required level and were unable to pay up their services."

"I told the RPC I was ready to provide lawyers and to pay up all the costs," Ryabinsky said.

"The RPC and I signed an agreement under which I assume responsibility for payments and a group of lawyers, including the ones based in Switzerland will steer the action."

"Quite naturally, this doesn't guarantee an encouraging result but we're increasing the chances for it," the businessman added.

"We see legal hollows in the (IPC) ruling and we understand what is to be appealed and how, what things we can make references to. As for the ruling as such, it's absolutely unlawful from the legal viewpoint."

The RPC launched a fund-raising public appeal earlier to enable itself to file the action with the CAS.

The IPC banned Russia from participation at the 2016 Paralympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 7 to 18, acting on a World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) independent commission report that said a state sponsored doping system was employed by the country at the 2012 Winter Olympic Games.

--IANS

sam/vt