The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on Thursday upheld the decision to ban Russian track and field athletes from Rio 2016 Olympics over the country’s alleged state-sponsored doping regime.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Russia’s athletics federation had been suspended by IAAF, the sport’s world governing body, after an independent report found evidence of widespread doping.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 athletes then appealed against that decision.
But, after hearing evidence from both sides, CAS has now ruled the ban can stand.
Already, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has separately been considering calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Olympic Games following a second report into state-sponsored doping.
“The CAS panel confirmed that the ROC is not entitled to nominate Russian track and field athletes to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“This is in consideration of the fact that they are not eligible to participate under the IAAF competition rules,” a spokesman said.
In a swift reaction, IAAF said it was “pleased CAS has supported its position’’, saying the judgement had “created a level-playing field for athletes’’.
“This is not a day for triumphant statements. I didn’t come into this sport to stop athletes from competing.
“Beyond Rio, the IAAF taskforce will continue to work with Russia to establish a clean safe environment for its athletes so that its federation and team can return to international recognition and competition,’’ IAAF President, Sebastian Coe, said.
In spite of the ban, the IAAF had previously said a handful of the country’s athletes could compete in Rio as neutrals.
This will be only if they meet a number of criteria, including being repeatedly tested outside their homeland.
At least two Russian athletes — 800 metres runner Yuliya Stepanova and long jumper Darya Klishina — have already taken advantage of that decision.
The CAS ruling has also cleared the way for more to follow.
CAS said the ROC would still be able to nominate “Russian track and field athletes who fulfil the criteria’’ to compete as neutrals at the Games.
But a CAS spokesman added that the panel had “expressed concerns’’ that the short timeframe “left no possibility for the athletes to comply with the criteria’’.
NAN reports that the Games will begin on Aug. 5