Russia to hold alternative 'Paralympics' for banned athletes

Russia will hold a two-day competition next week for its Paralympic squad banned from Rio, the country's committee chief said Wednesday, just as the official Games start in Brazil. "We're planning to hold on September 7-8 a series of tournaments for the country's Paralympic athletes at the training bases in the Moscow region," R-Sport news agency quoted Russia's Paralympic Committee head Vladimir Lukin as saying.
Russia looks set to miss the Paralympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week dismissed an appeal against a blanket ban over allegations of state-run doping. The country has appealed to a federal court in Switzerland against the ruling but there appears little hope of overturning the suspension before the start of the Paralympics in Rio on September 7. Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out against the ban on the country's Paralympians, calling the decision "outside the law, morality, humanity".