Russia threatened with Paralympics exclusion

Russia is not banned from the Rio Paralympics yet but an IPC statement said the body would consider excluding them from September's showpiece with a final ruling due in the week commencing August 1.

The news followed Monday's publication of an investigation by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which found evidence of state-sponsored systemic doping across an array of Russian sports, not just track and field.

"In light of the prevailing doping culture endemic within Russian sport, at the very highest levels, the National Paralympic Committee of Russia appears unable or unwilling to ensure compliance with and the enforcement of the IPC’s Anti-Doping Code within its own national jurisdiction," an IPC statement said.

"The IPC considers this vital to ensuring athletes are able to compete on a level playing field."

The IPC's stance over their Games for disabled athletes puts more pressure on the International Olympic Committee to ban all Russian competitors, across all sports, from the Rio Olympics which start on August 5.

Russian track and field athletes are already banned from Rio after a separate if related doping scandal, although some Russians may still be able to compete if they can prove they are clean.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed that ban by athletics governing body the IAAF on Thursday, leaving the IOC with even less wiggle room.

Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to limit the damage on Friday by saying he wanted to see the creation of an independent commission to address problems with Russia's anti-doping systems.

"I think it would make sense to address the Russian Olympic Committee with a proposal to establish an independent, I want to emphasize, an independent public commission, which, besides the Russian specialists, would include foreign experts in the field of medicine and law as well as respected public and sports figures," he said.