CAS says ‘record’ number of cases launched before Olympics

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – The Court of Arbitration for Sport has set an Olympic record for appeals launched, mainly because of the Russia doping crisis, before the Rio Games have even started.

CAS said at least 11 of the 18 cases launched at a special tribunal in Rio since July 26 involve Russian athletes banned from the Olympics after being implicated in a doping investigation.

A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency which said the Russian government organised doping at major events has overshadowed the Rio buildup with more than 110 Russian athletes banned from the Games.

CAS said in a statement that the tribunal in Rio had set “a new record of cases for one edition of the Olympic Games” before the Rio event starts on Friday.

At the 2012 London Olympics, CAS had 11 cases in all to handle.

Two of the 11 Russian appeals have already been handled. 

CAS on Wednesday rejected a challenge by the Russian weightlifting federation against its suspension by the International Weightlifting Federation after the McLaren report.

That meant eight Russian lifters were banned from Rio.

An appeal by 17 Russian rowers has also been rejected.

Nine other Russian procedures involve four Russian swimmers, four weightlifters who made individual appeals, three cyclists, three rowers, a wrestler and a canoeist.