MOSCOW, March 21 Vladimir Putin signed an order to encourage Russian Paralympic athletes, document published on the official portal of legal information. The President thanked the athletes «for their contribution to the development of physical culture and sports.» The day before, the Winter Paralympic Games «We are together. Sport» ended in Khanty-Mansiysk. Athletes from Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Armenia and Kazakhstan took part in the competition. The Russian team won the medal standings, winning 39 gold, 40 silver and 27 bronze medals. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko ordered these competitions to be held after the International Paralympic Committee banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Paralympics in Beijing. On March 2, the IPC allowed both teams to compete, but 17 hours later changed its mind. Vladimir Putin then called the suspension of the Paralympic teams the height of cynicism. According to the Russian president, the use of «an illegal mechanism of collective responsibility by international sports officials» was a heavy blow for the Olympic movement. On February 28, the International Olympic Committee recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions because of the situation around Ukraine.
