(ATR) The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) now knows what it will take to get its suspension lifted by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The IPC revealed on Monday that it has informed the RPC of the criteria required for reinstatement.
The RPC has been suspended since Aug. 7 due to its inability "to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code (to which it is a signatory) and the IPC Anti-Doping Code". As a result, all of Russia’s 271 athletes were banned from the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The IPC says the reinstatement criteria were developed in consultation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In a statement, the IPC said the RPC must be compliant with all the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Program (including, in particular, the World Anti-Doping Code) and the IPC Anti-Doping Code that are applicable to a National Paralympic Committee.
In addition, the RPC, IPC, International Federations and RUSADA (once RUSADA has been declared Code-compliant again) must also be able to carry out their respective anti-doping activities in Russia and in relation to Russian Para athletes and athlete support personnel effectively and without external interference.
Supporting the reinstatement criteria are an underlying set of verification criteria, which set out specific matters that need to be rectified by the RPC. At the top of the list is the establishment of an RPC coordination committee, but other requirements include the establishment of a strong anti-doping culture and improvements in anti-doping education, testing and results management.
To help the RPC in meeting the various criteria, the IPC says it will be appointing a task force of five people including an independent chairperson to assist in making sure the required changes are made.
"Although there is no timeline for the RPC to implement the changes required, we want to work closely with them in order to bring about the necessary changes sooner, rather than later," IPC president Philip Craven said in a statement.
"The RPC is an important part of the Paralympic Movement and its athletes want to be competing against the world’s best athletes on the international stage. With the RPC’s full co-operation and transparency, we will immediately lift its suspension once we are confident that all reinstatement criteria and verification criteria have been, and will continue to be, met in full.
"The IPC will also invite the RPC to meet in the coming weeks to go through the reinstatement criteria in full to ensure there is a comprehensive understanding of what is required."
Written by Gerard Farek
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