The removal of Russian Paralympic athletes from the Beijing Games was a heavy blow for them, said Dmitry Svishchev, head of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports. He shared his opinion with Lenta.ru.
Earlier, the International Paralympic Committee changed its decision, refusing to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2022 Games in Beijing. A day earlier, on March 2, the organization decided to allow them to compete in a neutral status. Athlete awards were not to be counted in the unofficial Paralympic medal standings.
The deputy called the committee’s decision inconsistent and scoundrel. “Yesterday I praised them for their decision, but they did not cope with the pressure that was put on them that night, primarily by overseas sponsors and patrons. For Paralympic athletes, this is, of course, the hardest blow. Now it can become a system when they can just, for no reason, remove entire national teams, ”he said.
Games will be held from 4 to 12 March. Competitions will be held in three clusters at once – Beijing, Zhangjiakou and Yanqing.
Russian athletes began to be excluded from international competitions as part of the sanctions imposed after the start of a military special operation in the Donbass. The International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have excluded Russian teams and clubs from their tournaments,
The World Athletics Association (World Athletics) suspended Russian athletes from international competitions, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation suspended Russia’s membership until July 2022, the United World Wrestling Bureau (UWW) suspended Russian wrestlers from international competitions and canceled tournaments in Russia.
Source: Lenta
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