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CAS Registers Two Appeals by Russians Against IOC Olympic Bans

PYEONGCHANG (Sputnik) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday opened two new cases after six more Russians appealed the International Olympic Committee decision to ban them from South Korea Olympics.
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"In both cases, the Applicants are challenging the IOC’s refusal to invite them to participate in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. They request that CAS overturn the IOC decision and allow them to participate in these Games," the Lausanne court’s ad hoc division in South Korea said in a statement.

One arbitration procedure was opened at the request of athletes Tatyana Borodulina, Pavel Kulizhnikov, Alexander Loginov, Irina Starykh, Dimitry Vassiliev and Denis Yuskov.

The second complaint was filed by doctors, coaches and support personnel. They were identified as Pavel Abratkiewicz, Victor Sivkov, Anna Vychik, Evgeny Zykov, Anatoly Chelyshev, Danil Chaban and Konstantin Poltavets.

The ad hoc panel was to convene on midday on Thursday to hear the cases of 32 athletes together with a separate case by 15 Russian athletes and coaches against the 2018 Winter Olympic ban. The Games begin Friday.

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"The hearing has been adjourned and will reconvene at midday on Thursday, 8 February 2018 … When the hearing reconvenes, the Panel will continue to hear the cases of the 32 athletes together with the second case filed on 7 February 2018 by 15 Russian athletes and coaches (procedure CAS OG 18-03)," the CAS said in a statement. The CAS stressed that the panel’s ruling was expected to be announced either late on Thursday or early the following day.

Russian Bobsleigh Federation’s secretary general Sergei Parkhomenko told reporters in Pyeongchang hoped for CAS to rule fairly.

"We all hope of course for a fair and logical CAS decision – that all athletes would be allowed to compete in Pyeongchang," he said. "Our strategy is simple. The athletes are not guilty… There is no evidence against them. The athletes must be allowed to compete."

Earlier this month, CAS upheld the appeals of 28 Russian athletes against IOC and partially upheld 11 other appeals. The Russian Olympic Committee asked the IOC to invite 15 Russian athletes and coaches to the Games, but the Committee refused.

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