Putin calls ban on Paralympic team inhumane
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked the ban on his country from the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics as immoral and inhumane on Thursday, while six Russian athletes launched a bid to compete at next month’s games as individuals.
Russia was suspended on Aug. 7 over what International Paralympic Committee president Philip Craven called a "medals over morals" culture with evidence of statesponsored doping. The ban was confirmed Tuesday when the Court of Arbitration of Sport rejected a Russian appeal.
"The decision to disqualify our Paralympians is outside the bounds of law, morality and humanity," Putin said at an award ceremony for Olympic athletes at the Kremlin. He called the ruling against Russia "cynical."
Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova added to the criticism, calling the ban "collective responsibility for an unproven crime." While Russia has accepted there were some shortcomings in its anti-doping system, it insists drug use was not systemic or supported by the government.
The Paralympics start Sept. 7. On Thursday, six Russian athletes, including three gold medallists, wrote to IPC president Craven asking for a route into the games as individuals.
"I strongly believe that real perpetrators of the dirty system must be punished and banned from sport. I do not want to lose to cheaters," says the letter, which was provided to The Associated Press by Andrei Mitkov, an agent representing the six. "However even more strongly I believe that innocent people should not suffer for actions of cheaters that tried to deceive clean athletes of the world."
The athletes, who say they have been repeatedly tested outside Russia and found to be clean, asked for the IPC to provide criteria which could allow some Russians to compete if they can show they are clean.
"I would be very grateful if you review my individual request for entry to the Paralympic Games in such exceptional circumstances the letter states.