The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has moved to bar Russian athletes from participating in qualifiers for the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The IPC Executive Board on January 30 rejected the Russian Paralympic Committee’s application, saying Moscow had not done enough to provide guarantees against doping.
The RPC said it would continue training athletes for the 2018 games, although it remains unclear whether they will be able to participate.
The Russian Paralympic team was barred from participating in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro after a report for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found compelling evidence of a massive, state-backed doping program involving more than 1,000 athletes in 30 sports since at least 2011.
Russia has admitted to doping but has denied there was an organized, state-sponsored program.