FEI ‘very disappointed’ Russian para dressage riders banned from Rio Paralympics
FEI president Ingmar De Vos has voiced his disappointment at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision to bar all Russian athletes from the 2016 Paralympics.
On Sunday (7 August) the IPC’s governing board suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee in the wake of the McLaren Report that exposed state-sponsored doping.
Although no Russian riders were implicated in the report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the suspension means no Russian athletes can be entered to compete in September’s Games.
Russia had three para dressage riders on its nominated entries – Natalia Martyanova, Natalya Zhavoronkova and Marina Vinogradova.
Natalia is Russia’s highest-ranked para dressage rider, currently 15th on the FEI Paralympic individual rankings and 23rd in the world.
“We are very disappointed with today’s IPC decision,” said Mr De Vos on Sunday (7 August).
“Like our Paralympic athletes from all other countries, our three Russian athletes have trained hard to make it to the Paralympic Games and we are troubled that today’s announcement means they cannot participate in Rio.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“Just as for the Olympic Games, we believe the individual international federations should be given the opportunity to defend the rights of their clean athletes.
“Today’s IPC decision does not give us that opportunity. We will not embark on any reallocation process until the appeal period has expired and any potential procedures have concluded.”
The McLaren report, which was released on 18 July, found wide-scale state-sponsored doping in Russian sport.
Although it focused on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, it also looked at the wider picture of what was happening across other sports and samples taken and tested at the Moscow Laboratory.
The International Olympic Committee ruled against a total ban of Russian athletes at the 2016 Olympics, instead leaving the decision to individual sporting federations — providing athletes met strict criteria.
Meanwhile, WADA and the British Paralympic Association have both welcomed the IPC’s decision.
Related articles:
- Two Russian pentathletes banned from Rio Olympics
- Russian riders’ Rio places hang in the balance
- Team GBR gets pro-active to ensure ‘clean sport’ in Rio
“While we have real sympathy for those individual Russian Paralympians not going to Rio who train and compete clean, it is crucial for the integrity of our sport that those involved as well as the public feel confident that all necessary measures are in place to tackle doping and the playing field is level,” said a statement from the British Paralympic Associaiton.
“The British Paralympic Association therefore congratulates the IPC on taking a clear stand based on the evidence provided to the McClaren report and their own subsequent investigation.”
A WADA spokesman added: “WADA supports the decision taken by the IPC, which we believe is in the interest of clean athletes and the clean sport movement.”
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.