Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the country’s ban from the Rio 2016 Paralympics was “outside the bounds of law, morality and humanity’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) suspended Russia from the Rio Paralympics Games starting on Sept. 7 because of state-sponsored doping.
Putin said the ruling was “cynical’’ and “humiliates those who take such decisions’’.
NAN recalls that only Russian track and field athletes were banned from the Olympics Games which ended in Rio on Aug. 21.
Putin, speaking at an award ceremony for the Russian Olympians at the Kremlin, said the country would hold special competitions for the banned Paralympics athletes.
He added that the winners would be awarded the same prizes as in Rio.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russian Paralympians had taken “collective responsibility for an unproven crime’’.(NAN)