MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Vladimir Putin congratulated Matvei Yakushev, the gold medalist of the men’s long jump event for track and field athletes with physical disabilities at the Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
"With your skills and precisely calculated tactics, you managed to defeat strong and experienced opponents," Putin stated in his congratulatory message.
"With your bright victory you confirmed the high class of sports training of our national team," the Russian president continued. "You have certainly gifted the minutes of unforgettable triumph and joy to numerous fans across Russia."
The Russian president wished Yakushev new sports achievements and all of the best in the future.
Before the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, Russian track and field athlete Yakushev won the gold in T20 class long jump booking the result of 7.51 meters and leaving behind Malaysia’s Latif Romly (with the silver 7.45 meters) as well as Colombia’s Jhon Sebastian Obando Asprilla to bag the bronze with the result of 7.38 meters.
According to the Paralympics documents, "T20 [class[ is for jumpers who have an intellectual impairment. Long jumpers may have difficulty when retaining competition information, which affects their ability to alter technique or tactics."
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) cleared 88 Paralympians from Russia to take part in the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games. They were initially barred from taking part in the Parade of Athletes during the opening and closing ceremonies and also excluded from the 2024 Paralympics overall medal standings.
The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games ran in the French capital of Paris between August 28 and September 8, 2024. Russian Paralympians, who were allowed to participate in the 2024 Games under a neutral status, coined 20 gold, 21 silver and 23 bronze medals.
Russia's route to 2024 Paris Paralympics
On March 6, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) published strict eligibility criteria that Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnel must meet and adhere to in order to participate as neutrals at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
According to the IPC’s requirements "Neutral athletes will compete under a white flag featuring black lettering spelling out NPA [Neutral Paralympic Athletes]." The IPC also ruled that "NPA will compete as individuals in neutral uniforms under an NPA flag, and will not be able to take part in medals ceremonies or march in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies."
On September 29, 2023, the IPC General Assembly ruled at its session in Bahrain to suspend some of the rights the RPC has within the global organization.
However, the IPC General Assembly cleared Russian athletes to participate under a neutral status in international competition, including at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
In mid-March this year, RPC President Pavel Rozhkov told TASS that Russian Paralympians and accompanying staff would don turquoise and beige at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.