MOSCOW, 5 Mar. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko instructed the ministries of sports and finance, together with the government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra, to work out the issue of organizing the Games for Russian Paralympians «We are together. Sport». The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Thursday suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participation in the Beijing Games, although on Wednesday decided to admit them in a neutral status. The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) stated that it reserves the right to defend the rights of athletes in the courts. It is noted that the dates for the competitions in Khanty-Mansiysk were instructed to be determined in the near future. Paralympic athletes in all sports presented in the program of the Games in Beijing. At the tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk, sports results will be recorded, records will be celebrated, and medals will be awarded to the winners and prize-winners at the end. Athletes should not be deprived of the sports festival for which they have been preparing for It is also necessary to maintain the amount of remuneration for the winners and prize-winners, as planned following the results of the Games in Beijing — 4 million rubles for a gold medal, 2.5 million rubles for a silver medal and 1.7 million rubles for a bronze medal, as well as payments to coaches and specialists . It is important that the competitions will be held with the Russian flag and anthem and in an atmosphere of full support, «- leads Chernyshenko said his press service. The Minister of Sports of Russia Oleg Matytsin noted the importance of organizing competitions for Paralympic athletes. “In relation to the Russian Paralympic team, an absolutely unfair decision was made to be suspended from the Beijing Games. Russian athletes have been preparing and training for a long time, overcoming all obstacles on the way to their dream and now they will be able to demonstrate to the whole world what great shape they are in and what high results achieve in a fair fight. We believe that sport should always be a symbol of friendship and unity. I am sure that the competitions in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug will be held at the highest level. I urge fans to actively support our Paralympic athletes at the Games,» Matytsin said.
