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Russian skiers are challenging ongoing bans as they try to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Thursday.
Six skiers, six Paralympians and the Russian Ski Federation have appealed the International Ski and Snowboard Federation's decision last month to extend their blanket ban during the country's war with Ukraine.
The CAS did not provide a timetable for hearings in the case, which will be heard on an expedited basis three months before the Milan-Cortina Olympics open in February.
The potential for another legal victory for Russia seemed to increase last week when another CAS panel of judges upheld the Russian lugers' demand that the International Luge Federation begin the process of evaluating athletes for approved neutral status.
Neutral status can be approved in most Olympic sports, as recommended by the International Olympic Committee for athletes who have not publicly supported the military invasion of Ukraine and have no ties to the military or state security agencies.
Some Russian and Belarusian athletes competed at the Summer Games in Paris last year without their national flag, anthem or team colors.
Find out more about what actually went into designing the medals for the Winter Games, which begin next February.
