Court of Arbitration for Sport to hear appeals from five Russian athletes hit with doping bans

Lausanne: Five Russian athletes challenged their bans for taking part in an systemic doping program during a three-day hearing that ended Thursday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. [caption id=“attachment_3752035” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational photo. AP[/caption] Ivan Ukhov, who risks losing his 2012 Olympic title in high jump, is among those who appealed against bans imposed last year. The five athletes were able to give evidence by video link, the court said. The athletes were banned after being found to have used a cocktail of steroids and were protected from positive tests around the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 track world championships in Moscow. If Ukhov’s appeal is dismissed by CAS, silver medalist Erik Kynard of the United States is in line to be awarded the 2012 Olympic high jump title. The five athletes also include Svetlana Shkolina, who could lose a 2013 world title in high jump. Brigetta Barrett of the US placed second in Moscow. The other athletes who appealed are: Lyukman Adams, the 2014 indoor world champion in triple jump, Yuliya Kondakova, and Ekaterina Galitskaia. CAS typically takes several weeks to deliver verdicts.