Russia to appeal four-year Olympic ban

Russia intends to appeal a four-year ban from international competition, including the Olympics. The Russian anti-doping agency's supervisory board voted Thursday to file an arbitration case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. It was recently ruled that Russia had manipulated doping laboratory data to cover up past offences, which led to the four-year ban from international tournaments.

"We need to wait calmly for the relevant rulings, including the arbitration court ruling and we'll know what position we're in," said Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russian athletes have been training and will keep training for all competitions."

Putin added the recent ruling was "unfair."

The sanctions, announced last week, ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years, including next year's Olympics. However, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutrals if they pass a vetting process which examines their history of drug testing, and possible involvement in coverups at the lab.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency has expressed anger over the conditions saying it should have been an all-out ban rather than allowing athletes from Russia to compete as neutrals.