Russia’s team will be suspended from the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but individual athletes will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, the International Paralympics Committee said Monday. Russia was suspended by the IPC in August 2016 following revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping uncovered in a report by Richard McLaren on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). After a review, the IPC said in a statement Monday that “it is maintaining the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)”. “Although the RPC remains suspended they have made significant progress and we have to recognise this.”Russian Para athletes were now regularly tested and “amongst the most scrutinised Para athletes in the world,” he said. “Under the supervision of WADA, we now have greater confidence that the anti-doping system in Russia is no longer compromised or corrupted.

Source: Hindustan Times January 29, 2018 10:52 UTC