Russia calls ban on its athletes 'monstrous'

MOSCOW : Russia on Thursday (Mar 3) condemned as a "disgrace" a last-minute decision to ban its athletes from the Paralympic Games in Beijing to punish it for its actions in Ukraine.

"The situation is monstrous, of course. This is a disgrace for the International Paralympic Committee," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

"We strongly condemn the International Paralympic Committee for this decision."

The IPC said earlier that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be barred from the Games which open on Friday.