European Para-Taekwondo Union does not agree with IPC's decision on Russian Paralympic athletes
MOSCOW. Aug 11 (Interfax) - The European Para-Taekwondo Union is concerned with the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ban the Russian Paralympic team from participation in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"In our opinion, it is wrong to impose the sanctions due to doping on those athletes, who have never been caught breaching the anti-doping rules and devoted years of their lives to the honest preparations for the 2016 Paralympic Games. The responsibility should be personalized and individual, and all conscientious athletes should not be responsible for the breaches of other people," the European Para-Taekwondo Union said in a letter addressed to the IPC President Phillip Craven, which was submitted to Interfax.
The possible non-participation of the Russian athletes in the Paralympics Games will negatively affect the development of the Paralympic movement in Russia, in particular, in a new Paralympic sport - para-taekwondo, which was added to the roster of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo for the first time.
"The European Para-Taekwondo Union asks you to take our stand into account while delivering the decision at the IPC Governing Board on admission of the Russian Paralympic athletes to participation in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro," the letter said.
The IPC initiated the case against the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) after receiving from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) the names of 35 Russian Paralympic athletes, which are mentioned in the report of the WADA's independent commission headed by Richard McLaren of July 18.
As a result, the IPC made a decision to ban the Russian athletes from participation in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The appeal demanding to revoke the IPC's decision on the RPC's suspension will be filed before August 12. The farewell ceremony for the Russian Paralympic team is scheduled for August 29.