MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Olympic Committee appealed against the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ban on Russian athletes' participation in international competitions on July 2.
The IAAF first imposed the ban on the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) last November, then upheld it in June.
"CAS rejects the claims/appeal of the Russian Olympic Committee and 68 Russian athletes," the court said on its website.
The athletes may submit appeal during 30 days, CAS secretary general stated. However CAS has emphasized that "the door is open" for the International Olympic Committee to decide on Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics.
"The door is open for the IOC to decide, to determine even on a case-by-case principle whether these athletes are eligible or not," Matthieu Reeb Reeb, Secretary General of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, told reporters.
The International Olympic Committee said it would explore legal options ahead of deciding whether to ban the Russian national team from the Summer Olympics in Rio next month. An IOC spokeswoman suggested the decision would be forthcoming within a week, while several reports indicated the decision could be made this weekend.
