Top Russian Rights Official Slams Suspension Of National Paralympic Committee As 'Cynical'

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2022) The International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision to suspend Russia's national committee is "cynical" and contradicts international norms, Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova said on Thursday.

The IPC suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) at an extraordinary general assembly in Berlin on Wednesday in a 64-39 vote, with 16 abstentions. Belarus' national paralympic committee was also suspended.

"The decision is cynical, unfair, and contradicts the spirit of international norms and principles. It is especially cynical after the statement of International Olympic Committee President (Thomas Bach), who said that if politics starts interfering in sports, then sports will finish its existence," Moskalkova told reporters.

The commissioner also slammed the suspension as "cruel," citing the difficulties paralympic athletes have to face in their life and career.

Responding to the suspension on Wednesday, the RPC questioned its lawfulness and pointed to the face the IPC did not provide any evidence that the Russian committee had violated its membership obligations.

In late February, the International Olympic Committee recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of international sports federations followed this recommendation. The IPC suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

The IPC stripped the RPC of its membership in the organization in August 2016, before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The RPC was conditionally reinstated in March 2019.