Russia call Paralympics ‘fascist’ for confiscating Belarus’s flag of solidarity As far as Russian international athletics goes, this summer has been a washout. Many of its athletes, including almost all […]

As far as Russian international athletics goes, this summer has been a washout. Many of its athletes, including almost all of its track and field team, were banned from the Olympics in Rio.

Accusations of state-sponsored doping also extend to the Paralympic team, which was suspended from competition in its entirety.

When it came to the opening ceremony in Rio however, Belarus’s team decided to stand in solidarity with their neighbours. One of the athletes carried a Russian flag during the parade as a gesture of protest, but the International Paralympic Committee acted quickly to confiscate it. Political symbols and gestures of all kinds are strictly barred at Olympic and Paralympic events.

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‘Real fascism’

Now the Russian Government is complaining about the treatment. “This is real fascism,” a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. “It’s just disguised as something civilised and is allegedly part of the law.”

The IPC took away the flag as the team entered the arena in the Maracana in Rio. Belarus’s team had spoken of the planned gesture in advance. The Paralympic governing body plans disciplinary action against Andrey Fomochkin, a former USSR winter triathlon champion and Belarus sports minister, who was identified as the carrier.

“This gesture by the members of the Belarusian delegation was made in solidarity with the Russian Paralympians who have been excluded without any confirmation that anti-doping rules have been violated,” said Oleg Shepel, the head of the Belarusian Paralympic Committee.

‘Gesture of solidarity’

“It was a bold act,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “What the Belarus Paralympians did is worthy of admiration. And we certainly treasure this gesture of solidarity with our Paralympians, who were unjustly stripped of a chance to take part in the Paralympics.”

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the decision to suspend the country’s Paralympic team “politically motivated” and other officials referred to it as “cruel and inhumane”.

The country’s National Paralympic Committee appealed the ban unsuccessfully in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. It came in the wake of a WADA report on Russian use of doping.