RUSSIA has lost its appeal against a ban from next month’s Rio Paralympics because of a state-sponsored doping program, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said Tuesday.

    The decision to exclude Russia’s team, initially made Aug. 7 by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), means at least 260 competitors from the country are now set to miss the Sept. 7-18 event.

    The IPC went further than the International Olympic Committee, which stopped short of a blanket ban on Russia at this month’s Rio Games and left the decision instead in the hands of international sports federations.

    CAS, sport’s highest tribunal, said its panel found the IPC “did not violate any procedural rule in dealing with the disciplinary process” which led to Russia’s suspension.

    Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko called the CAS decision unlawful and politically motivated. Russia can now appeal to the Swiss Federal Court although it can only overturn the CAS ruling on the basis of a procedural mistake and not on the merits of the case.

    Alexei Karpenko, a lawyer representing the Russian Paralympic Committee, said an appeal would be considered once CAS had issued its full, reasoned decision.(SD-Agencies)