Russia loses appeal against Paralympics ban
Moscow’s sports minister criticizes ruling by CAS as ‘ disproportionate’
Russia has lost its appeal against a ban from next month’s Rio Paralympics over its state- sponsored doping program, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ( CAS) said Tuesday.
The decision to exclude Russia’s team, initially made by the International Paralympic Committee ( IPC) on August 7, means that at least 260 competitors from the country are now set to miss the September 7- 18 event.
The IPC went further than the International Olympic Committee ( IOC), which stopped short of a blanket ban on Russian athletes at this month’s Rio Games and left the decision instead in the hands of international sports federations.
CAS, sport’s highest tribunal, said its panel found the IPC “did not violate any procedural rule in dealing with the disciplinary process” that led to Russia’s suspension.
It added that the ruling was “proportionate in the circumstances” and said the Russian Paralympic Committee ( RPC) “did not file any evidence contradicting the facts on which the IPC decision was based.”
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko called the CAS decision unlawful and politically motivated.
“There were no reasons to dismiss [ the appeal], but it happened,” Mutko was quoted as saying by Russia’s stateowned TASS news agency before adding, “Those bodies that should defend Paralympians do not do it and punish them instead.”
Russia can now appeal to the Swiss Federal Court, although it can only overturn the CAS ruling on the basis of a procedural mistake and not on the merits of the case.
Alexei Karpenko, a lawyer representing the RPC, said an appeal would be considered once CAS had issued its full, reasoned decision.
The whole dispute centers on a World Anti- Doping Agency report that found the Russian government and its FSB security service had, over several years, covered up hundreds of doping cases across the majority of Olympic sports and Paralympic events.
Although not widely followed or celebrated in Russia, where rights campaigners say many disabled people are marginalized by regressive social attitudes and inadequate state support, Russian para- athletes are some of the best in the world.
Their team topped the medal table at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi after taking second place behind China at the London 2012 Games.
The country’s exclusion from Rio will hit hard in a country that has long drawn pride and prestige from its history of sporting success.
Following Tuesday’s verdict, the IPC said Russia had been banned for its inability to fulfill its membership “responsibilities and obligations,” particularly the anti- doping code.
The IPC said the 267 places secured by Russian athletes would now be redistributed.