Russia challenges World Athletics ban at sports court as IOC eases restrictions

A man walks from the Russian National Olympic Committee building in Moscow, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo)

Russia's athletics federation has approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to overturn World Athletics' decision to keep Russian athletes suspended from international competitions because of the war in Ukraine.World Athletics banned athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from all international events in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.The governing body decided to continue the suspension at its council meeting last week. The move came even as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently eased its restrictions on Russian athletes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and recommended that other international sports federations follow a similar approach.

The Kremlin described the IOC's decision as an "important step."In a statement, the Russian athletics federation said the continued suspension unfairly affects its athletes.“Russian Athletics notes that World Athletics’ decision affects the fundamental interests of athletics in Russia and restricts Russian athletes’ right to compete, on grounds that Russian Athletics considers discriminatory."Russian Athletics continues to pursue all available legal measures to protect the interests of Russian athletes.”

CAS has not yet confirmed whether it has officially registered the case, news agency AP reported.Last week, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the governing body had discussed the possibility of creating "a conditional pathway back into international competition" for Russian and Belarusian athletes but ultimately decided against it.“We presented options for the council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialized,” he said.Russia has not competed under its own flag at the World Athletics Championships since 2015, when its federation was suspended over a widespread doping scandal.Although a system allowing Russian athletes to compete as neutrals was introduced later, it was withdrawn in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics lifted the original doping-related suspension in 2023.No Russian athletes competed in track and field at the 2024 Paris Olympics because qualification for athletics was controlled by World Athletics, despite the IOC allowing neutral athletes to compete in several other sports.