MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has granted Russia’s appeal to strike down a previous ruling by the Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) barring Russian national athletes from federation-sponsored international tournaments, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on Tuesday.
"The arbitrators found the claims of the Russian side to be justified and legitimate. In line with the International Olympic Committee’s [IOC] decision, they instructed FIS to admit Russian athletes to competitions in Olympic disciplines under neutral status, and to allow athletes in Paralympic disciplines to compete on the same terms as athletes from other countries — namely, under the national flag and with all appropriate national insignia," Degtyarev, who is also the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), said in a statement on his Telegram channel.
"It’s important to note that this is the third court decision in favor of Russia in Winter Olympic sports disciplines," he continued.
"Earlier, the Appeals Tribunal of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation declared illegal the decision of the organization's congress to ban Russian athletes from competing, and CAS partially upheld the appeal of the Russian Luge Federation and decided to allow Russian luge athletes to participate neutrally in international competitions," Degtyarev noted.
