Deputy Zhurova: Russia should hold international Paralympic competitions
Russia should host international Paralympic competitions if the country is permanently excluded from the International Paralympic Committee. So, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, the Olympic champion, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Svetlana Zhurova, offered to respond in case of suspension of membership in the organization.
Our answer should be only this – to support our Paralympic athletes, to organize large-scale international Paralympic competitions so that others come to us, despite the Paralympics, we should not pay attention to it. But we will not be expelled forever, because the summit is unlikely to vote for it, for some reason it seems to me so. There are a lot of sane people out there who won’t let that happen.
“Only the support of our Paralympic athletes can respond to these actions. They do it on purpose. For some reason, apparently, they believe that if our Paralympic athletes do not participate in the Paralympic Games and international championships, then Russia will not support them and will have nothing to be proud of. They know that we have a special pride for the Paralympians, they are shown in a special way, they are cited as an example. There is a part of our national pride for these guys in addition. For the Olympians of course, but for the Paralympians doubly so, and everyone understands why, ”she said.
On September 7, the President of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), Pavel Rozhkov, in an interview with RIA Novosti, said that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC, IPC) wanted to permanently suspend Russia’s membership.
The interlocutor of the agency claims that the IPC is preparing for a general assembly in Bahrain to permanently suspend Russia’s membership. He claims that the organization plans to avoid a repeat of last year’s situation, in which Moscow, through a sports tribunal, achieved its reinstatement after the suspension of membership in the fall.
On 12 May, the IPC Appeals Tribunal overturned the RPC’s suspension. In Russia, they said that in the future they would defend the rights of athletes and seek to be allowed to participate in international competitions.
Last year, the IPC did not allow the admission of Russian athletes to compete at the 2022 Games. Initially, domestic athletes were allowed to perform in a neutral status, but then the decision was changed.
Source: Lenta
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