Russian paralympians may have to miss 2018 Winter Games

Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) Vice President Rima Batalova has said the country's paralympians may have to miss the 2018 Winter Games as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) did not communicate the criteria for Russia's membership recovery.

Russian paralympians will not be able to participate in competitions and gain quotas for the 2018 Winetr Games next year, Sputnik reported citing Batalova.

In July, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) urged IPC to suspend the Russian paralympic team from the 2016 Paralympic Games in rio following a report of WADA's independent commission, alleging that Russia had run a state-controlled doping programme.

Earlier in August, the IPC imposed a blanket ban on the Russian paralympic team.

"The main trouble is that we have been deprived of IPC membership. It means that we will not be able to participate in competitions and gain quotas next year, thus we will miss the 2018 Winter Paralympics. They don't even tell us the criteria for Russia's membership recovery," Batalova told R-Sport news agency on Sunday.

According to Batalova, the IPC decision to ban Russia from participation in Rio games is based on assumptions rather than evidence.

The 2016 Rio Paralympic Games will be held from September 7-18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

--IANS

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