The Russian Paralympic Committee will continue to defend the rights of athletes in international courts, and Russian Paralympians will continue training. This was stated at the meeting in the State Duma, though the Russian Paralympic athletes were suspended from the qualifying competitions of the 2018 Paralympic Games.
Claims against athletes are based on the report of the "independent commission" of the World Anti-Doping Agency under the leadership of Richard McLaren. Now, in order to restore the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee at the international level, Russians must form and draw up a "road map" and carry out a whole list of criteria. In the near future, our committee will send a working group for coordination of the already implemented requirements. The list of criteria for the restoration of membership of the Paralympic Committee of Russia was promulgated on 1 November 2016, and in December representatives of the two organizations met in Bonn.
Nevertheless, the US State Department confirmed the participation of Russian representatives of the Paralympic movement in the "Sport for Society" exchange program from March 11 to April 13.
"We welcome representatives of the international Paralympic movements - participants in the.
"Sport for Society" exchange program. The participants will include Paralympians, heads of national Paralympic committees, social entrepreneurs from Argentina, Armenia, Venezuela, Egypt, Georgia, Mongolia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Estonia," stated the State Department.
Representatives of the Russian Paralympic movement will participate in the American exchange program Sport for Society. As part of this event, organized with the support of the State Department, they will visit the leading sports organizations for disabled people in the United States, as well as representatives of the Paralympic movement from 15 other countries.
A corresponding statement was released last Thursday by the US Foreign Ministry. The message, in particular, has noted that the delegations, in addition to the Paralympics, will also include the heads of national Paralympic committees and social entrepreneurs. In addition to the Russian Federation, the participants of the program will also be representatives of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Mongolia, Fiji, Egypt and Armenia. Delegations will visit the leading sports organizations for disabled people in the United States. It is expected that during the negotiations they will be able to develop a plan aimed at promoting the rights of people with disabilities in all spheres of life through sport. In addition, the delegations will also be told about the history of the movement for disability rights in the United States. According to the information of the US State Department, first the participants of the program will visit Washington, and then it is expected the tour of the country. Then the Paralympics will return to the capital of the United States.
In August 2016 the international Paralympic Committee, according to the results of the investigation of facts from the report of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency under the leadership of Richard McClaren, suspended the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee in the organization. As a result, Russian athletes with disabilities could not perform at the 2016 Paralympic, held in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.
Earlier, the President of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov at the meeting of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture, Sport, Tourism and Youth Affairs has expressed the hope that the Russian Paralympians will soon get the right to participate in international competitions.
"Unfortunately, our Paralympic athletes are still unable to participate in international competitions, but I hope that they will get this right in the very near future, because for disabled people participation in competitions is not just a sport, but a way of life. I know their attitude to participating in these competitions, "Zhukov said.
IA "Res" continues to follow the situation around unreasonable repressions against Russian athletes, and will inform readers about the further development of the situation.
Inal Pliev, international expert IA "Res"
