‘Breach of all limits’: Russia to appeal Vladimir Putin Olympic ban

High-ranking Russian officials are planning to challenge the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that prohibits President Putin from attending major sporting events, including the Olympic Games, for two years.

The first deputy chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, labeled the CAS ruling “outrageous lawlessness” and said Russia will try to appeal Putin’s ban.

READ MORE: ‘They took our flag, not our pride’: Russian sports officials react to CAS ban

“This decision is outrageous lawlessness, it breaches all possible limits. Of course, we will appeal this ban. We will not let it go unnoticed or neglected,” Dzhabarov said. 

The Kremlin also reacted to the CAS ruling, stating that it regretted the decision to restrict Putin’s access to the Olympics, adding that Russian athletes’ participation in the games was of greater importance than the ban on officials.

“We regret the CAS decision … But, on the whole, as has been mentioned by our sports managers, the main thing is that our athletes will be allowed to take part in future international sporting events. It will help them maintain their international qualifications and physical shape, which is of great importance,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

On Thursday, CAS announced it had reduced Russia’s international sports ban from four to two years on appeal, but the decision still means the Russian flag and anthem will be absent from the next two editions of the Olympic Games: Tokyo in the summer of 2021, and the Winter Games in Beijing in February 2022.

Under the decision, Russian government officials and representatives will be banned from attending events such as the Olympics and world championships for the period covered by the suspension.