Cas register Russian appeal against world athletics ban
What you need to know:
- The appeal, Cas said, was "against the decision taken by the IAAF Council on July 27, 2018, in which the IAAF Council refused to reinstate Rusaf into full membership of the IAAF and resolved to extend RUSAF's suspension until the next meeting of the IAAF Council which will take place in December 2018"
- Russian athletics chief Dmitry Shlyakhtin argues that the reasons for the ban of his organisation and its athletes, which the IAAF imposed in November 2015, are no longer pertinent as they were the same ones the Wada's used when they punished Rusada
- IAAF president Sebastian Coe had said following Wada's decision to lift the ban that Russia needed to meet two pre-conditions to be allowed to return to international athletics competition
LAUSANNE
The Court of Arbitration of Sport (Cas) on Thursday registered an appeal by the Russian athletics federation (Rusaf) against its suspension from track and field's governing body, the IAAF.
Rusaf's appeal comes fast on the heels of the World Anti-Doping Agency's lifting of the three-year ban on Russia's anti-doping agency (Rusada).
The appeal, Cas said, was "against the decision taken by the IAAF Council on July 27, 2018, in which the IAAF Council refused to reinstate Rusaf into full membership of the IAAF and resolved to extend RUSAF's suspension until the next meeting of the IAAF Council which will take place in December 2018".
"Rusaf seeks a ruling from Cas annulling the IAAF Council decision of July 27, 2018, and reinstating it to full IAAF membership as soon as possible."
Cas said it had opened an arbitration procedure.
Russian athletics chief Dmitry Shlyakhtin argues that the reasons for the ban of his organisation and its athletes, which the IAAF imposed in November 2015, are no longer pertinent as they were the same ones the Wada's used when they punished Rusada.
Wada suspended Rusada, also in November 2015, after declaring it non-compliant following revelations of a vast state-backed scheme to avoid drug testers.
IAAF president Sebastian Coe had said following Wada's decision to lift the ban that Russia needed to meet two pre-conditions to be allowed to return to international athletics competition.
Firstly, Russian authorities must acknowledge the findings of the McLaren and Schmid Commissions that sports ministry officials were implicated in the scheme to cover up the doping of Russian athletes as described in their reports.
And secondly Russian authorities must provide access to the data from testing of samples at the Moscow laboratory from 2011-2015, so that the Athletics Integrity Unit can determine whether the suspicious findings reported in the Moscow lab's database should be pursued.
The IAAF will next broach the subject at a Council meeting in December.
