Banned Russians appeal seeking Games spots

Thirty-two Russian athletes appealed their PyeongChang Olympic Games exclusion by the IOC over a doping scandal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) says six-time Olympic gold medalist Viktor Ahn is among 32 Russian athletes who have filed appeals seeking spots at the PyeongChang Olympics.

The 32 athletes failed to pass the mandatory International Olympic Committee (IOC) vetting for Russian athletes - imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Olympics - and weren't invited to the Games.

As well as short-track speed-skating legend Ahn, the athletes include world cross-country skiing champion Sergei Ustyugov and world biathlon champion Anton Shipulin.

The IOC hasn't said why any of the individual Russians weren't invited, but has said it used a newly available database detailing past doping when it decided who should be eligible.

A hearing is likely on Wednesday, CAS said.

The IOC invited 169 Russians athletes to compete at the Games under the OAR banner without their national symbols and anthem.