MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 14 September 2026 - Russian Athletics supports a request by 17 Russian track and field athletes to be heard in proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concerning restrictions affecting their participation in international competition.

In an open letter dated 10 September, the athletes say they have been unable to compete internationally for more than four years and ask that their individual conduct and circumstances be taken into account.

On 3 July, World Athletics maintained the restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Russian Athletics challenged that decision before the CAS on 9 July.

According to the open letter, the athletes asked the CAS on 17 July to allow them to intervene in the proceedings because the outcome directly affects them. As of 10 September, they said they had not been informed whether they would be given that opportunity or when the dispute concerning the continued restrictions would be heard.

The athletes say the restrictions have affected them at different stages of their careers. Some were beginning their international careers when the restrictions were introduced, while others were entering their peak competitive years or are now approaching the end of their careers.

In the letter, the athletes state that excluding athletes as a group without considering their individual conduct or circumstances is discriminatory. They ask World Athletics and the wider international sporting community to consider whether the continued blanket exclusion of individual athletes solely on the basis of nationality is fair and proportionate.

The letter also refers to concerns raised by United Nations human rights experts about exclusion based solely on nationality and to CAS rulings cited by the athletes in support of their position.

"We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to be treated as individuals," the athletes say in the letter.

Russian Athletics will continue to pursue its challenge before the CAS through the established legal process.