Olympic Games 2018: Paralympics: Russia remains suspended – selected athletes start under neutral flag

Selected Russian disabled athletes are allowed to compete under a neutral flag at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang (9. till 18. March) will take place. As announced by the International Paralympic Committee in Bonn on Monday, the Russian Paralympic Committee remains suspended due to the state-controlled doping system in Russia. However, between 30 and 35 selected athletes are allowed to participate in the matches in South Korea.

The IPC suspended the RPC in August 2016 and linked the lifting of the blockade to the fulfilment of a catalogue of criteria. These include, among other things, the complete resumption of the Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA by the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA and official recognition of the McLaren Report, which certifies Russia’s institutionalised doping system. Neither has happened yet.

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, the IPC, unlike the International Olympic Committee (IOC), ruled out all Russian disabled athletes because of the state-controlled doping system.