Mass appeals by Russians against Rio Games bans

(FILES) This file photo taken on August 05, 2015 shows Russia’s Vladimir Morozov reacting after the semi-finals of the men’s 100m freestyle swimming event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan.
Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev on July 30 lodged appeals against their doping ban from the Rio Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said. Both have requested that CAS, which has set up special courts in Rio, declare “invalid and unenforceable” an International Olympic Committee order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on doping in Russia. Morozov and Lobintsev were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA). / AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV

At least 18 Russian athletes made late appeals to the international sports tribunal on Monday against being excluded from the Rio Olympics over Russia’s organized doping, the court said.

Three Russian swimmers, a wrestler and the Russian weightlifting federation already have a queue of appeals being handled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

CAS said in a statement that canoeist Andrey Kraytor and 17 Russian rowers had also made appeals to the tribunal which is holding special hearings in Rio to handle the cases.

Russian has been at the centre of a new doping storm after an independent investigator, Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, said in a report that there had been widespread state-backed doping in Russia.

About 30 Russians have now appealed against exclusions, directly or indirectly, from the Olympics ordered by international federations and the International Olympic Committee since the report was released.

CAS said it would announce on Tuesday whether more hearings would be needed in the case of swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev.

Another appeal by Yulia Efimova was adjourned until Tuesday and the case of wrestler Viktor Lebedev would follow, it added.

The Russian weightlifting federation has appealed against its suspension by the International Weightlifting Federation over the doping. It has said that if this is successful it will start a new case on behalf of eight weightlifters banned from the Olympics.