IPC to conditionally lift Russian Paralympic Committee suspension next month

| 08 February 2019

The RPC met 69 of 70 reinstatement criteria and is set to end its 29-month ban by March 15, 2019.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced its intention to conditionally lift the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) by March 15, 2019.

The IPC said it had taken the decision to end the 29-month ban after the RPC met 69 of 70 reinstatement criteria.

IPC president Andrew Parsons said: "In August 2016 the IPC suspended the RPC because it was necessary and proportionate to the situation we faced and essential to ensure clean sport.

BREAKING: The IPC announced on Friday that it will conditionally lift the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) by 15 March 2019.https://t.co/MEIaOQ31T0

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) February 8, 2019

"Twenty-nine months later it is the IPC Governing Board's firm belief that keeping the RPC suspended is no longer necessary and proportionate to the situation we now face in Russia."

Russian athletes were banned from competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and were forced to compete as neutrals at last year's Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Although the way has been cleared for them to return for Tokyo 2020, Russian athletes are still expected to be required to adhere to additional testing procedures before they are ratified to take part.

The International Olympic Committee lifted its own ban on Russia last year, but a sanction imposed by athletics world governing body the IAAF remains in place.

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