The Russian Athletics Federation has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against World Athletics over the continued suspension of its athletes, officials and support personnel from international competition.
The federation announced on Thursday that it had filed its claim within the five-day deadline set out in the World Athletics Constitution following the governing body’s decision to maintain the ban.
Russian Athletics confirmed it has appointed international lawyers with expertise in sports law and CAS proceedings to represent the federation during the arbitration process.
According to the federation, the ongoing restrictions are discriminatory and have a significant impact on athletics in Russia by preventing its athletes from competing on the international stage.
In a statement, Russian Athletics argued that the measures affect the “fundamental interests” of the sport in the country and unfairly limit the rights of its athletes.
The appeal comes just two days after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provisionally lifted its sanctions on the Russian Olympic Committee, allowing it to rejoin the Olympic Movement under certain conditions.
Despite that development, World Athletics has maintained its position regarding the suspension, prompting the Russian federation to pursue legal action.
Russian Athletics said it would continue to explore every available legal avenue to safeguard the interests of its athletes.
World Athletics has already confirmed it intends to contest the appeal vigorously.
In response, the governing body stated that it had taken note of the case being brought before CAS and would “strenuously” defend its decision.
At the time of publication, the Court of Arbitration for Sport had not yet confirmed whether the appeal had been formally registered.
