IOC President: Sports Arbitration Court needs reform
The decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which fully granted appeals for and canceled sanctions against 28 Russian athletes, "is extremely disappointing and surprising," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.
Bach also believes that the CAS’ recent decision demonstrates the "extreme" need to reform its internal structure.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport canceled the lifetime disqualification of 28 Russian athletes due to "insufficient" evidence that they had benefited from the doping system during the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
Russia previously reported that they would like to send 15 of the aforementioned 28 athletes to the Winter Olympic Games in 2018.
Among those whom Russia wants to send to the games are gold medalist skeleton racer Aleksandr Tretyakov and gold medalist cross-country skier Alexander Legkov.
Speaking on Sunday in Pyeongchang, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that the IOC’s recommendations regarding the participation of the Russian athletes in the upcoming games should be made by an independent commission, and hopes that the final decision will be made in the next few days.
In December 2017, the IOC prohibited Russia from participating in the Winter Games in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang due to Russia’s "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the Olympic Anti-Doping System. At the same time, the IOC decided that individual Russians would be able to compete as neutral athletes, subject to compliance with doping requirements.
On January 25, the first Vice-President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said that 169 athletes had entered Russian bids for the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Games is scheduled for February 9.