Short track speed skating star Victor An has been excluded from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the aftermath of a state-sponsored doping scandal, angry Russian officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Six-time Olympic gold medallist An -- who was born in South Korea but took Russian citizenship before the 2014 Sochi Games -- was &quot;absent from the list of potential participants&quot;, vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov said in a statement, confirming media reports from Monday.&nbsp;

Olympic champion biathlete Anton Shipulin and world champion skier Sergei Ustyugov were also absent from the list of athletes invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the statement said.

The absent sportsmen have &quot;never been implicated in any type of doping affair and the numerous tests they have passed in their careers show that they are clean athletes&quot;, Pozdnyakov said.

&quot;Today we will send the International Olympic Committee a request for the specific reasons why the captains of Russian teams in various sports have not been included in the list of potential participants.&quot;

The ROC said it did not see this as a final decision, but An`s lawyer told media on Monday there would not be time to appeal before the Games.

In a separate statement, the Russian figure skating federation said skaters Ksenia Stolbova and Ivan Bukin had been banned from the games, in a decision the body slammed as &quot;groundless and absurd&quot;.

Stolbova along with her partner Fedor Klimov took silver in the European Championships in Moscow last week and the pair were also second at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014.&nbsp;

Bukin won bronze with his partner Alexandra Stepanova at the latest European Championships.President of the Russian Skating Union Alexei Kravtsov said he was &quot;outraged by the unjust decision&quot; to bar top athletes.&nbsp;

&quot;By acting like this, the IOC can be compared to a despot and a tyrant, trampling on laws and deciding people`s fate simply according to its whims,&quot; he said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;It is clear that we do not really have time to do anything before the Olympics, but we intend to continue the fight to clear the names of our athletes,&quot; he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen the &quot;sad&quot; media reports that An, Ustyugov and Shipulin had been banned.&nbsp;

&quot;We deeply regret this, if such a decision is indeed taken,&quot; he told journalists.The IOC banned Russia from the 2018 Olympics after a report on a vast, Moscow-backed doping scheme in previous Games.&nbsp;

Russians who want to compete are being forced to pass a unique set of anti-doping tests.

Those deemed clean will be allowed to appear in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag as an &quot;Olympic Athlete from Russia&quot;.

An had earlier requested permission to compete as a neutral athlete following the IOC`s ban on Russia.

Dozens of Russian athletes banned by the IOC for life for doping began an appeal against their suspension on Monday at the world`s top sports court.

The week-long hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) includes appeals from 39 Russians who competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi but are now banned after multiple independent reports linked them to doping.

Last week the IOC said the pool of Russians who could potentially be eligible for the 2018 Games had been reduced from 500 to 389.&nbsp;

Russia`s deputy prime minister responsible for sport Vitaly Mutko -- also suspended for life by the IOC for his role in the doping scandal -- earlier said he believed around 200 Russians would ultimately be cleared for Pyeongchang.

The decision was made aftermath of a state-sponsored doping scandal

Short track speed skating star Victor An has been excluded from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the aftermath of a state-sponsored doping scandal, angry Russian officials confirmed on Tuesday. Six-time Olympic gold medallist An -- who was born in South Korea but took Russian citizenship before the 2014 Sochi Games -- was "absent from the list of potential participants", vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov said in a statement, confirming media reports from Monday. Olympic champion biathlete Anton Shipulin and world champion skier Sergei Ustyugov were also absent from the list of athletes invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the statement said. The absent sportsmen have "never been implicated in any type of doping affair and the numerous tests they have passed in their careers show that they are clean athletes", Pozdnyakov said. "Today we will send the International Olympic Committee a request for the specific reasons why the captains of Russian teams in various sports have not been included in the list of potential participants." The ROC said it did not see this as a final decision, but An`s lawyer told media on Monday there would not be time to appeal before the Games. In a separate statement, the Russian figure skating federation said skaters Ksenia Stolbova and Ivan Bukin had been banned from the games, in a decision the body slammed as "groundless and absurd". Stolbova along with her partner Fedor Klimov took silver in the European Championships in Moscow last week and the pair were also second at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014. Bukin won bronze with his partner Alexandra Stepanova at the latest European Championships.President of the Russian Skating Union Alexei Kravtsov said he was "outraged by the unjust decision" to bar top athletes. "By acting like this, the IOC can be compared to a despot and a tyrant, trampling on laws and deciding people`s fate simply according to its whims," he said in a statement. "It is clear that we do not really have time to do anything before the Olympics, but we intend to continue the fight to clear the names of our athletes," he added. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen the "sad" media reports that An, Ustyugov and Shipulin had been banned. "We deeply regret this, if such a decision is indeed taken," he told journalists.The IOC banned Russia from the 2018 Olympics after a report on a vast, Moscow-backed doping scheme in previous Games. Russians who want to compete are being forced to pass a unique set of anti-doping tests. Those deemed clean will be allowed to appear in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag as an "Olympic Athlete from Russia". An had earlier requested permission to compete as a neutral athlete following the IOC`s ban on Russia. Dozens of Russian athletes banned by the IOC for life for doping began an appeal against their suspension on Monday at the world`s top sports court. The week-long hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) includes appeals from 39 Russians who competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi but are now banned after multiple independent reports linked them to doping. Last week the IOC said the pool of Russians who could potentially be eligible for the 2018 Games had been reduced from 500 to 389. Russia`s deputy prime minister responsible for sport Vitaly Mutko -- also suspended for life by the IOC for his role in the doping scandal -- earlier said he believed around 200 Russians would ultimately be cleared for Pyeongchang.

Pyeongchang Winter Olympics: Russia confirms star speed skater Victor An banned for doping

Korean-born speed skater Victor An and 31 other Russian athletes launched a last-ditch appeal on Tuesday against their suspensions from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics following a widespread doping scandal.

Just three days before the start of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport&nbsp;(CAS) said it opened arbitration proceedings following an urgent request from the 32.

As well as An, the six-time short-track Olympic champion, the group includes Sochi 2014 biathlon gold medallist Anton Shipulin and Sergei Ustyugov, a cross-country skiing world champion.

&quot;The applicants challenge the IOC decision refusing to invite them to participate in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games,&quot; a CAS statement said.&nbsp;

&quot;They request that CAS overturn the IOC decision and allow them to participate in these Games as Olympic Athletes from Russia.&quot;

The late appeal will raise hopes that An, who switched allegiance to Russia in 2011 after falling out with South Korea&#39;s skating authorities, can make an emotional end to his Olympic career in his native country.

Last week, 28 Russians had life bans from the Olympics overturned by CAS, prompting 15 of them to apply to take part in Pyeongchang. However, the International Olympic Committee refused to give them invitations.

Russia&#39;s team has been banned from Pyeongchang, although 168 &quot;clean&quot; Russian athletes were cleared to take part under a neutral flag as &quot;Olympic Athletes from Russia&quot;.

A 32, Shipulin and Ustyugov were not included on the list of allowed athletes, although Stanislav Pozdnyakov, vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, has insisted they had &quot;never been implicated in any type of doping affair&quot;.

Russia was suspended from Pyeongchang after the discovery of a systemic doping conspiracy culminating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics -- where, as the host nation, they topped the medals table.

The confusion over Russia&#39;s participation echoes the build-up to Rio 2016, when the IOC stopped short of banning Russia and instead left it up to individual sports federations to accept or deny Russian athletes.

&nbsp;

Just three days before the start of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it opened arbitration proceedings following an urgent request from the 32

Korean-born speed skater Victor An and 31 other Russian athletes launched a last-ditch appeal on Tuesday against their suspensions from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics following a widespread doping scandal. Just three days before the start of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it opened arbitration proceedings following an urgent request from the 32. As well as An, the six-time short-track Olympic champion, the group includes Sochi 2014 biathlon gold medallist Anton Shipulin and Sergei Ustyugov, a cross-country skiing world champion. "The applicants challenge the IOC decision refusing to invite them to participate in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games," a CAS statement said. "They request that CAS overturn the IOC decision and allow them to participate in these Games as Olympic Athletes from Russia." The late appeal will raise hopes that An, who switched allegiance to Russia in 2011 after falling out with South Korea's skating authorities, can make an emotional end to his Olympic career in his native country. Last week, 28 Russians had life bans from the Olympics overturned by CAS, prompting 15 of them to apply to take part in Pyeongchang. However, the International Olympic Committee refused to give them invitations. Russia's team has been banned from Pyeongchang, although 168 "clean" Russian athletes were cleared to take part under a neutral flag as "Olympic Athletes from Russia". A 32, Shipulin and Ustyugov were not included on the list of allowed athletes, although Stanislav Pozdnyakov, vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, has insisted they had "never been implicated in any type of doping affair". Russia was suspended from Pyeongchang after the discovery of a systemic doping conspiracy culminating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics -- where, as the host nation, they topped the medals table. The confusion over Russia's participation echoes the build-up to Rio 2016, when the IOC stopped short of banning Russia and instead left it up to individual sports federations to accept or deny Russian athletes.

Victor An among 32 Russians to appeal for Olympic spot

Olympic skating champion Claudia Pechstein&#39;s claim damages against the International Skating Union (ISU) over a doping ban was ruled as inadmissible by a German court today. This dealt her years-long effort for compensation a crushing blow. 
 
The Federal Court of Justice decided the domestic courts should not hear her case after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), considered the highest sports tribunal, had rejected Pechstein&#39;s appeal over her ban. 
 
The five-time Olympic champion was seeking more than 4 million euros in damages from the ISU after it banned her for two years in 2009 over irregular blood results, although the German never failed a drugs test. 
 
She insisted, providing extensive scientific data, that she had a hereditary blood condition that her father also had. 
 
Her case had been seen as a litmus test, with a win potentially triggering a flood of doping cases being challenged in domestic courts around the world and eroding the position of CAS. She vowed to fight on at the Constitutional Court. 
 
The Federal Court, Germany&#39;s highest for civil and criminal jurisdiction, said an arbitration agreement between her and the ISU at the time she had tested positive, which ruled out taking the case to a domestic court, was valid. 
 
&quot;The anti-trust division of the Federal Court of Justice did not follow the argumentation of the plaintiff,&quot; it said in a statement. &quot;It decides that her suit is inadmissible as it is opposed by the defence of the arbitration agreement.&quot; 
 
The CAS rejected her appeal as did the Swiss Federal Tribunal. However, a Munich court said in 2015 that it would allow the 44-year-old skater to go ahead with a lawsuit. 
 
The skater said she would now take the case to the next stage, the Federal Constitutional Court. 
 
&quot;Despite this verdict I am not considering giving up,&quot; she wrote on her website. &quot;The battle for justice will be continued at the Federal Constitutional Court.&quot; 
 
Pechstein, who missed the 2010 Vancouver Games due to the ban, competed at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, narrowly missing out on medals in the 3,000m and 5,000m. 
 
The athlete has said she wants to compete at the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in what would be her seventh Games.

After the International Skating Union had banned her for two years in 2009, the speed skater sought for more than 4 million euros in damages. However, she never failed a drug test

Olympic skating champion Claudia Pechstein's claim damages against the International Skating Union (ISU) over a doping ban was ruled as inadmissible by a German court today. This dealt her years-long effort for compensation a crushing blow. The Federal Court of Justice decided the domestic courts should not hear her case after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), considered the highest sports tribunal, had rejected Pechstein's appeal over her ban. The five-time Olympic champion was seeking more than 4 million euros in damages from the ISU after it banned her for two years in 2009 over irregular blood results, although the German never failed a drugs test. She insisted, providing extensive scientific data, that she had a hereditary blood condition that her father also had. Her case had been seen as a litmus test, with a win potentially triggering a flood of doping cases being challenged in domestic courts around the world and eroding the position of CAS. She vowed to fight on at the Constitutional Court. The Federal Court, Germany's highest for civil and criminal jurisdiction, said an arbitration agreement between her and the ISU at the time she had tested positive, which ruled out taking the case to a domestic court, was valid. "The anti-trust division of the Federal Court of Justice did not follow the argumentation of the plaintiff," it said in a statement. "It decides that her suit is inadmissible as it is opposed by the defence of the arbitration agreement." The CAS rejected her appeal as did the Swiss Federal Tribunal. However, a Munich court said in 2015 that it would allow the 44-year-old skater to go ahead with a lawsuit. The skater said she would now take the case to the next stage, the Federal Constitutional Court. "Despite this verdict I am not considering giving up," she wrote on her website. "The battle for justice will be continued at the Federal Constitutional Court." Pechstein, who missed the 2010 Vancouver Games due to the ban, competed at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, narrowly missing out on medals in the 3,000m and 5,000m. The athlete has said she wants to compete at the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in what would be her seventh Games.

German court drops Claudia Pechstein's doping ban damages suit

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