It is current”not worth staying in Beijing”, the Russian Paralympic team will “leave the capital of the Winter Games, the city of wonderful people, in the near future.” This was announced by the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) on Friday (March 4th, 2022) before the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.
No chance of success at the Sports Court
One reason for the departure is that the RPC does not expect any success in its lawsuit before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport CAS. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had banned Russia and Belarus from the games because of the Ukraine war.
It is true that the RPC has consulted leading Russian and foreign law firms. However, the committee stated: “The IPC, in its sole discretion, may bar any athlete from participating for any reason. Also, the IPC constitution lacks an arbitration clause that would allow the RPC to appeal to the CAS.” In its notification, the RPC refers to point 2.9 of the IPC regulations.
Subsequent lawsuits are not excluded
However, the RPC reserves the right to do so at a later date “competent international and national courts” to pull. The IPC had initially decided that Russian and Belarusian athletes could start at the games under a neutral flag. After massive protests from other nations, both countries were then excluded.
Criticism also of the IOC
Before the IPC decision, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international competitions. IOC President Thomas Bach was then heavily criticized: “This decision is politically motivated, goes against all the postulates of the Paralympic movement and clearly shows that double standards have sadly become the norm in modern sport.”the Russian statement said.
Source: red/dpa