Russian doping scandal could keep athletes from 2018 Paralympic Games

The head of the International Paralympic Committee warned Monday that the entire Russian team is facing exclusion from the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Russian athletes have been under intense scrutiny over the past two years after investigations found evidence of widespread cheating among athletes, coaches and officials.

The country’s track athletes have been banned from international competition since late 2015. The Paralympic team and a large segment of the Olympic team were excluded from the 2017 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Now, IPC President Philip Craven said he wants to see more improvement within a Russian athletic infrastructure that has vowed to change.

“Although we are pleased with the progress to date, a number of key criteria still need to be met,” Craven said. “At the moment, there are a lot of good plans with timelines on paper, but we now need to see plans in action and delivering concrete results.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency had previously issued a list of reforms the country must enact, but the track team has yet to regain eligibility and Craven said the IPC will review the Paralympic ban at a board meeting in September.

“There is not a moment to waste,” he said. “If the obligations have not been fully met by then, it will be very difficult for the [Russian team] to have its suspension lifted.”

david.wharton@latimes.com

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