MOSCOW, 18 Mar. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called the removal of the Paralympic teams of Russia and Belarus from the Paralympic Games in Beijing the height of cynicism. people who did not break down, but overcame the most difficult life trials, worthy of worldwide support and admiration, those who, by their example, give hope to millions, make them believe in themselves and their strength,» Putin said in his address to the participants of the games «We are together. Sport » in Khanty-Mansiysk. He added that a heavy blow to the Olympic movement was the use of «international sports officials of the illegal mechanism of collective responsibility», which was first launched in the summer of 2016 at the Games in Rio de Janeiro. «All this leads not only to loss of authority and independence of organizations important for the development of the global dispute, but also the violation of the norms of the Olympic Charter, in including the key thesis that the Games are not a competition of countries, but of athletes,” the Russian leader emphasized. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), guided by the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, suspended Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing . From March 18 to March 21, Khanty-Mansiysk will host the open all-Russian sports competitions «Winter Paralympic Games» We are together. Sports». The Games will feature cross-country skiing, biathlon, snowboarding, alpine skiing, wheelchair curling and sledge hockey competitions, as envisaged by the program of the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
