MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The leadership of the International Paralympic Committee has rejected a proposal of Russian lawmakers to allow Russian athletes to take part in qualifier events for the 2018 Paralympic Games, Vice President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Oleg Smolin told Sputnik on Friday.
Earlier Friday, Russian parliamentarians met with the IPC leadership in the city of Bonn.
"The key issues brought up by the Russian dlegation were either allowing the Russian athletes to take part in qualifier competitions, aside from those who were included in the [Richard] McLaren report, or to follow the trend of the International Association of Athletics Federations and at least let Russian athletes compete under a neutral flag. Both key proposals were rejected," Smolin, who is also a lawmaker in the Russian lower house, said.