SALZBURG, Austria (AP) — Russian athletes and sports bodies are taking legal action in an attempt to compete in biathlon at February’s Winter Olympics after overturning bans in other sports as the qualification period draws to a close.
The International Biathlon Union said it was informed Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that eight Russian athletes, along with Russia’s national biathlon and Paralympic bodies, had filed a claim against it.
The IBU defended its policy on Russia, saying its members had “strong legal grounds” for a vote to suspend Russia’s national biathlon body and its athletes.
“The IBU also reiterates that the IBU event and competition rules and the IBU constitution do not allow for a neutral-athlete pathway,” it added. “The IBU is confident in its position and will cooperate fully with CAS.”
Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyaryov said the aim of the legal action was to ensure Russians could qualify for the Milan Cortina Olympics in comments Tuesday to Russian broadcaster Match TV, calling the IBU’s stance “absolutely outrageous.”
Over the last two months, legal rulings have overturned blanket bans on Russians in Winter Olympic sports like skiing, snowboard, luge and biathlon, requiring them to let in vetted athletes as neutrals in line with International Olympic Committee recommendations.
IOC guidelines to sports bodies have kept Russian athletes excluded from team events like hockey and curling in a system enforced for the Paris Summer Games last year. Biathlon is the only remaining sport on the Winter Olympic program which offers medals in individual events but no pathway for Russians to compete as neutrals.
Separately Thursday, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation allowed two more cross-country skiers from Belarus to compete internationally as neutral athletes, a day after giving permission to nine other skiers from Russia and Belarus.
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AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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