Russian Paralympic Team Banned From 2018 Winter Games For Doping

Russia -- Members of Russia's Paralympic national team, swim during a training session in the town of Ruza, August 18, 2016

Russia, already suspended from next month's Rio Paralympics, has been banned from the 2018 winter Paralympics in South Korea as well, the Russian Paralympic Committee announced on August 29.

Russia's paralympic athletes are considered some of the best in the world, although they are not widely celebrated in Russia, where rights campaigners say many disabled people are marginalized by regressive social attitudes and inadequate state support.

Their team topped the medal table at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi after taking second place behind China at the London games in 2012.

Russia is likely to fight the latest ban on 267 Russian athletes, which was imposed by the International Paralympic Committee on the recommendation of the World Anti-Doping Agency after an investigation found the Russian government over several years covered up hundreds of doping cases across the majority of Olympic and Paralympic events.

Last week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Russia's appeal of the Rio ban.

Russia has appealed that court ruling to the Swiss Federal Court, with a decision expected this week. The Swiss court can only overturn the earlier court decision if there was a procedural mistake. It cannot rule on the merits of the case.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS