LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� Russia’s track and field federation says it has gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a World Athletics ruling suspending its athletes from international events due to the war in .
World Athletics excluded all athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from its international events in March 2022, days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
It kept that suspension in place at a council meeting last week. Since then, the International Olympic Committee has on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics 鈥� something the hailed as an 鈥渋mportant step鈥� 鈥� and recommended other sports bodies do the same.
鈥淩ussian Athletics notes that World Athletics鈥� decision affects the fundamental interests of athletics in Russia and restricts Russian athletes鈥� right to compete, on grounds that Russian Athletics considers discriminatory,” the Russian track federation said in a statement.
“Russian Athletics continues to pursue all available legal measures to protect the interests of Russian athletes.鈥�
World Athletics vowed to defend the case.
鈥淲e take note of the Russian athletics federation鈥檚 appeal to CAS, and we will be strenuously defending our position,” it said in a statement.
CAS did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the case has been officially registered.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said last week his organization discussed options for 鈥渁 conditional pathway back into international competition鈥� for Russian and Belarusian athletes, but opted against.
鈥淲e presented options for the council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialized,鈥� he said.
Russia hasn’t competed under its own flag at a world athletics championships since 2015, when the Russian track federation was over widespread doping.
A program allowing its athletes to compete under a neutral flag was ended in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics’ original doping suspension was lifted in 2023.
No Russians competed in Olympic athletics at the 2024 Paris Games because the qualification system is overseen by World Athletics, even though the IOC allowed in other sports.
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