Russia sees politics behind Paralympics ban, vows to appeal (Reuters)
By Andrew Osborn and Jack Stubbs MOSCOW/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Russia blamed politics for a decision to bar its Paralympians from next month’s Rio Games because of a state-sponsored doping programme, saying on Monday it would take legal measures to try to overturn the ban. The decision to exclude Russia’s entire Paralympics team, announced on Sunday by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), means at least 250 Russian competitors are set to miss the Sept. 7-18 Paralympics. The imbroglio centres on a report for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that found the Russian government and the FSB security service had over years covered up hundreds of doping cases across the majority of Olympic sports, as well as Paralympic events.