MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry slammed as shameful the recent decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to impose restrictions on the rights of Russian Paralympic athletes.

"Unfortunately, the ruling by the highest tribunal of the International Olympic Committee did not stop the rampant functionaries who still consider themselves to be bureaucrats in sports [from] reconsidering suspending the Russian Paralympic Committee and banning [Russian] Paralympic athletes from competition at the IPC General Assembly," Maria Zakharova told a news briefing.

"But they should be ashamed," the diplomat insisted. Meanwhile, the proactive position of the Russian Paralympic Committee and its prestige among foreign partners as well as support from the majority of IPC members "helped avoid a harsher decision and let Paralympic athletes compete as neutrals," she said.

Zakharova underscored that Russia still viewed the decision made by the IPC General Assembly as "absolutely illegitimate, ungrounded and violating the fundamental principles of pure, equal and non-politicized sports" as she said it ran counter "to the ban on any discrimination which forms the basis of Paralympic values."

"The Russian Paralympic Committee remains neutral and unbiased on politics as it deals exclusively with sportsmanship-related issues and is focused on performing its tasks in line with the Charter," she concluded.