Court overturns doping bans of 28 Russian athletes

An international court overturned the Olympic doping bans of 28 Russian athletes Thursday, stirring chaos just eight days before the Winter Games begin in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Court of Arbitration for Sport did not rule the athletes were innocent but said there was insufficient evidence to uphold the sanctions against them. Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov said he hoped the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would now allow the athletes to compete in the Winter Games, but the committee pointed out that the court’s ruling doesn’t mandate it do so. The IOC invited 169 Olympians to compete in Pyeongchang as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” under a neutral flag. The committee said in a statement it had taken note of the court’s decision “with satisfaction on the one hand and disappointment on the other,” adding the decision “may have a serious impact on the future fight against doping.”