MOSCOW — The International Paralympic Committee says Russia's ban from disabled sports should continue because it is sidestepping allegations of a major doping cover-up.
Russia was banned from last year's Paralympics and suspended by the IPC in August after World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren detailed widespread drug use and cover-ups allegedly involving senior government officials.
However, Russian officials have not "specifically addressed" McLaren's findings, either by admitting them or "properly rebutting" them, an IPC taskforce working with the Russian Paralympic Committee says in a report.
The taskforce says it has established a good working relationship with Russian officials, but "there can be no meaningful change in culture" — a key requirement for reinstatement — unless "the problems that led to the RPC's suspension are fully understood and addressed."