MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia's Paralympic Committee on Monday announced that it has filed an appeal against the decision to ban the country from the Rio Paralympic Games over evidence of state-sponsored doping.

A statement by the committee said that it had "sent an appeal on August 15 to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)".

A hearing has been set for Aug 21 in Rio and a final ruling was expected by the end of Aug 22, it said.

Russia's doping-tarnished reputation suffered another blow when the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced this month it was suspending the country over evidence of state involvement in a doping cover-up scheme published in a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report.

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko had slammed the ban decision as "beyond belief".

The IPC said its decision to bar Russia on Aug 7 was unanimous and there was support from member bodies, including the British Paralympic Association.

IPC president Philip Craven said this month that Russia's "thirst for glory at all costs has severely damaged the integrity and image of all sport".

"Their medals over morals attitude disgusts me," he said.

The president of Russia's Paralympic Committee, Vladimir Lukin, insisted last week that the committee had done all it could to tackle doping and insisted Moscow had fulfilled all its obligations.

Russia narrowly escaped a blanket ban from the Rio Olympics last month when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) left it up to international sports federations to determine which Russians are eligible to compete, while granting itself a final say on the Russian Olympic roster.