"Tragically, this situation is not about athletes cheating a system, but about a state-run system that is cheating the athletes," Craven said. Mikhail Terentyev, head of Russian Paralympic Committee, said the IPC decision was a "huge injustice." "I believe the Russian government has catastrophically failed its Para athletes," Craven said. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said banning Russia from the Paralympics means "a large number of athletes will suffer — disabled people." "We will fight for our Paralympians," Mutko, who the IOC banned from attending the Olympics, told the Tass news agency.

Source: ABC News August 07, 2016 15:24 UTC