Russian athletics lodges fresh CAS claim against World Athletics sanctions

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND — Russia’s track and field federation filed a new claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday to challenge sanctions imposed by World Athletics. The filing follows a World Athletics council meeting in July that maintained the federation’s suspension.

World Athletics excluded all athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from its international events in March 2022 after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The suspension was maintained at the council meeting in July, and Russian Athletics subsequently launched a separate appeal with CAS to try to overturn that decision.

Russian Athletics said the new appeal targets restrictions which it says "infringe on the organisation’s rights" and prevent it from fully representing Russian athletes’ interests at international level. Chief executive director Boris Yaryshevskiy said in the federation’s statement: "The sanctions against Russian Athletics are unprecedented. No other sports federation faces such severe restrictions." He added: "They not only hinder the federation’s normal operation but also hold back the development of athletics in Russia, particularly among young athletes."

Last month the International Olympic Committee eased its restrictions on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; the Kremlin hailed that step as an "important step", and the IOC recommended other sports bodies follow suit.

Russia has not competed under its own flag at a world athletics championships since 2015, when the Russian track federation was suspended for widespread doping. A programme allowing its athletes to compete under a neutral flag was ended in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.

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 neutral athletes in other sports.

The suspension was maintained at the World Athletics council meeting in July, and Russian Athletics had already launched a separate appeal with CAS to try and overturn that decision; the federation has now lodged this additional claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.