Statement - Canadian Paralympic Committee applauds IPC decision to suspend the Russian Paralympic Committee

Suspension means Russia is ineligible to compete in Rio

OTTAWA, Aug. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Today the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that it has suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee, effective immediately, for its inability to fulfil its IPC membership responsibilities and obligations, in particular the obligation to comply with and abide by the IPC Anti-Doping Code and World Anti-Doping Code.

The suspension means that Russian athletes are not eligible to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games set for Sept. 7 to 16. The IPC is now working with the relevant International Federations to determine how the 267 slots Russian athletes had secured across 18 sports for Rio 2016 can be potentially redistributed. The redistribution will not be confirmed until after all potential appeals from Russia are concluded, which could take up to 21 days.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee released the following statement in response to the IPC decision:

"The Canadian Paralympic Committee applauds the International Paralympic Committee's strong leadership and continued stance on ensuring that our movement upholds the values of clean sport and fair play.

We continue to remain focused on providing a high performance, distraction-free environment for Team Canada's Paralympic athletes who are getting ready to compete in Rio in September.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee will now access the impact of this announcement as it relates to any additions to Team Canada's quota and will work with the affected national sport organizations to determine an action plan."

• Gaétan Tardif, President, Canadian Paralympic Committee

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee: Paralympic.ca

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SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC)

Martin Richard, Executive Director, Communications & Marketing, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Tel: [phone] x224 / Cell: 613-725-4339, Email: [email protected]; Alison Korn, Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Tel: [phone] ext. 243 / Cell: 613-298-4927, Email: [email protected]