Biathlon: Russian athletes appeal suspension to CAS

Russia’s sports minister announced that the country’s biathletes will appeal their suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in order to regain access to international competition.

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has confirmed that an appeal has been filed. In a statement, the IBU said it “repeats that the IBU Competition Rules and the IBU Constitution do not provide an avenue for neutral athletes to compete.” The federation added it is confident in its position and will cooperate fully with CAS during the legal process.

The appeal reportedly covers eight Russian athletes, including biathletes and para‑biathletes. Russian and Belarusian athletes have been suspended from IBU events since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The challenge comes shortly after decisions in other winter sports under FIS permitted Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in World Cup events as neutrals, enabling them to seek Olympic qualification for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. Russian athletes are already slated to compete in the upcoming World Cup weekend in Davos in cross‑country skiing, such as Savely Korostelev and Veronika (Daria) Nepryayeva, and Russia’s biathletes now seek similar access via the CAS appeal.