Rio 2016 ban: Russian weightlifting federation files suit with CAS

The Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF) has filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to suspend all Russian lifters from the 2016 Olympics.

The Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF) has filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to suspend all Russian lifters from the 2016 Olympics.

A file photo of Marina Shainova of Russia at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. (AP Photo)

“This is true, we have filed a lawsuit with CAS and are waiting for their response and will see whether we will receive it on Tuesday or not,” Tass quoted RWF President Sergei Syrtsov as saying on Monday.

The IWF announced last Friday its decision to ban the entire Russian weightlifting team from the 2016 Games, which will kick-off this week in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, due to confirmed Adverse Analytical Findings (AAF) in reanalysed doping samples of seven Russian athletes from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

According to the IWF, a total of seven confirmed AAFs for Russian weightlifters from the combined reanalysis process.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has earlier announced that serious reformations were planned for the national weightlifting federation in the wake of the IWF’s decision to ban all Russian weightlifters from the 2016 Olympics.