Complete Madness: Russian Athletes Speak Out Against Negative Verdict of CAS

The CAS didn't allow the appeals of 47 Russians who were fighting for their right to participate in the PyeongChang Games. Only those athletes who were initially invited by the IOC will compete in the Olympics (168 athletes). Last morning, the court finished considering the appeals. Today, it announced its verdict: 32 cases of the athletes who hadn't been involved in the doping controversy but still weren't admitted to the Winter Olympics and 15 athletes and coaches who were declared not guilty by the CAS in the late January. Matthieu Reeb, CAS Secretary General: "The representatives of the athletes admitted the possibility of such process during the hearings and didn't demonstrate their will appropriately. I'm talking about the jury and the group that was considering the appeals of the athletes from Russia. These two independent commissions were considering the appeals in a fair manner. It was concluded that they weren't reviewed in a discriminatory or unfair manner". "We hoped that our athletes would be admitted. Now we have to consider some other legal steps," said the head of the Russian Skiing Federation Yelena Välbe. Skeleton racer Yelena Nikitina said that she was disappointed with the jury's verdict and would consult her lawyers on further steps. She also added that she was not going to quit sports. The coach of the Russian skiers Markus Cramer believes the decision of the CAS harms not only Russian athletes but also the world sports. He called the verdict, I quote: "Madness".