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IPC requires additional doping testing of Russian Paralympians before 2020, 2022 Games

The International Paralympic Committee announced a decision on February 8 to conditionally lift the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee by March 15

BONN /Germany/, February 8. /TASS/. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will grant permission to Russian athletes to participate in the 2020 and 2022 Paralympics under the condition that they undergo frequent doping tests, the IPC said in a statement on Friday.

The IPC announced a decision on Friday to conditionally lift the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) by March 15, which gives the right for Russian Para athletes to compete at the international tournaments under the national flag after that date. However, the conditional lift of the suspension will be in force until December 31, 2022, which means that the Russian side must strictly abide by a number of special requirements to avoid a recurrence of sanctions.

"Up until 31 December 2022, Russian Para athletes will only be entitled to participate in certain competitions (including the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games) if they have met the specified testing requirements," the IPC announced in a statement.

The statement also said that "The RPC must contribute to the IPC’s significant costs resulting from the increased testing required in relation to Russian athletes under the IPC’s jurisdiction until 31 December 2022."

On August 7, 2016, the IPC decided to bar the entire Russian team from taking part in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on August 23, 2016 upheld the IPC’s ruling that came on the heels of a report delivered a month earlier by the WADA Independent Commission, chaired by Canadian sports law professor Richard McLaren.

Besides collectively punishing the Russian national team by banning it from the Rio Games, the IPC also decided to suspend the RPC membership in the international organization.

Besides skipping the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Brazil due to the imposed sanctions the Russian Paralympians almost missed the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang as only few of them were cleared to participate in the neutral status.