The legal battle between Russian athletics officials and World Athletics has entered a fresh stage after the country’s federation turned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) once again to seek an end to sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Athletics said Monday it had submitted a new claim at CAS, challenging the measures that World Athletics has maintained against Russian and Belarusian athletes since March 2022.
The move follows a decision by World Athletics in July to retain the restrictions, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcing that Russian athletes will be permitted to take part in team events and qualifying competitions for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Russian Athletics has rejected the continued measures, describing them as "selective and politicised".
"The current restrictions infringe on the organisation's rights and prevent it from fully representing the interests of Russian athletes on an international level," it added in a statement.
The Russian federation also pointed to differences in how international sports organisations have handled restrictions on Russian competitors.
World Athletics, which is headed by Briton Sebastian Coe, has maintained the ban while other Olympic sports bodies have taken steps to ease their own restrictions.
World Gymnastics and the International Skating Union are among the federations that have relaxed measures affecting Russian athletes.
Boris Yaryshevskiy, Chief Executive Director of Russian Athletics, said the restrictions facing his federation were far more severe than those imposed elsewhere in international sport.
"The sanctions against Russian Athletics are unprecedented. No other sports federation faces such severe restrictions," Boris Yaryshevskiy, Chief Executive Director of Russian Athletics, said.
He said the sanctions were affecting more than the federation’s participation in international competitions, arguing that they were also limiting its ability to develop athletics at home, particularly among young athletes.
"They not only hinder the federation's normal operation but also hold back the development of athletics in Russia, particularly among young athletes, preventing us from properly representing our sport in the international
Yaryshevskiy said the federation would continue to challenge the restrictions through legal channels and work towards having them removed.
"That is why we will consistently defend our rights, pursue the lifting of the sanctions through the courts, and continue our work in this direction. We are already preparing our next steps to restore justice."
World Athletics, however, has indicated that it will continue defending the sanctions at CAS.
"As we have said before in reference to the Russian Athletics Federation's request for arbitration to CAS, we will be "strenuously defending" our position," said World Athletics in a statement to AFP.