Russian track and field athletes to miss Rio Olympics after court upholds ban

Russian track and field athletes have lost an appeal to let them compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday upheld a ban. In November, Russian athletics was barred from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) following a report that found evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping. The Russian Olympic Committee and 68 athletes appealed the decision to CAS, but after hearing both sides, the court rejected the appeal. "As a consequence, the CAS Panel confirmed that the ROC is not entitled to nominate Russian track and field athletes to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games considering that they are not eligible to participate under the IAAF competition rules," the court said in its statement. The International Olympic Committee is considering a total ban on all Russian competitors amid reports of state-sponsored doping. With only 15 days until the opening ceremony in Rio, that means Russia still doesn't know whether any of their sportspeople will be able to take part.

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