Russian Paralympic team to leave Beijing after opting against lodging an appeal

The Russian Paralympic team are returning home after deciding not to lodge an appeal against the decision to exclude them from the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing (Chris Radburn/PA)

Russia’s Paralympic team are returning home from Beijing after deciding not to appeal against the decision to ban their athletes from competing.

The International Paralympic Committee performed a U-turn on Thursday morning when it opted to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Games.