The Ad hoc Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has opened an arbitration procedure following an urgent application filed by 32 Russian athletes (the Applicants) against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (the Respondent). The Applicants challenge the IOC decision refusing to invite them to participate in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. They request that CAS overturn the IOC decision and allow them to participate in these Games as Olympic Athletes from Russia.

The applicants are Victor Ahn, Vladimir Grigorev, Anton Shipulin, Evgeniy Garanichev, Ruslan Murashov, Ekaterina Shikhova, Sergei Ustyugov, Ksenia Stolbova, Ekaterina Urlova-Percht, Maksim Tcvetkov, Irina Uslugina, Yulia Shokshueva, Daria Virolainen, Dmitri Popov, Roman Koshelev, Mikhail Naumenkov, Alexei Bereglasov, Valeri Nichushkin, Anton Belov, Sergei Plotnikov, Evgeniya Zakharova, Ruslan Zakharov, Anna Iurakova, Alexey Esin, Yulia Skokova, Elizaveta Kazelina, Sergey Gryaztsov, Ivan Bukin, Denis Arapetyan, Artem Kozlov, Gleb Retivikh, Alexey Volkov.

A Panel of arbitrators has been constituted:

Ms Carol Roberts (Canada), President
Mr Bernhard Welten (Switzerland), arbitrator Ms Zali Steggall (Australia) arbitrator

The parties are exchanging written submissions and a hearing is likely to be held on 7 February 2018. The Panel’s decision will be communicated as soon as possible thereafter.

• This media release was published by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 6 February 2018. Click here for the original.