Russia has been banned from the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

The International Paralympic Committee on Monday has gone where the International Olympic Committee would not, and banned all Russians from its Games next month because of the widespread doping culture that it says has polluted sport in the country.

The IPC announced the decision to suspend the Russian Paralympic Committee in Rio.

Its president Philip Craven said that Russia’s Paralympians were part of a broken system that stems from the Russian government.

Watch his announcement here:

Russia immediately announced it would be appealing against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IPC decision follows the publication of the McLaren Report last month that implicated Russian Para-athletes in the widespread doping and cover-ups that led to the selective banning of many competitors from the Olympics.

While the IOC decided against a blanket ban, the IPC had no such concerns about its own Games that run from September 7 to 18.

Craven said he had “deep sympathy” for the competitors who will miss the Paralympics but that the decision was taken in the best interests of the Paralympic movement.

Russia’s Alexander Sakhatskiy (L) and Great Britain’s Nigel Murray shake hands after competing for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Photo: Getty

Last month the IPC said: “In view of the culture endemic within Russian sport at the very highest levels, NPC Russia appears unable or unwilling to ensure compliance with and the enforcement of the IPC’s Anti-Doping Code within its own national jurisdiction.”

Parasport is not widely followed or celebrated in Russia, a country where rights campaigners say many disabled people are marginalised by regressive social attitudes, poor infrastructure and inadequate state support.

But Russian para-athletes are some of the most successful in the world, topping the medal table in Sochi and coming second after China at London 2012.