MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Rowing Federation (RRF) plans to file a lawsuit to the Swiss Federal Court after the Rio Olympics to challenge a ban on 17 Russian rowers, RRF Head Veniamin Bout told TASS on Tuesday.
In early August, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and the commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) admitted only six out of 26 Russian rowers entered in the national roster for the Rio Olympics, as well as two coxwains.
As a result, the Russian coaches had to form the sole crew from the rowers admitted to the Olympics while the FISA gave the other four quotas to other national rowing teams.
"We have held a lot of consultations with lawyers and came to the conclusion that we’ll defend our athletes to the end. If we have failed to do it at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, then we plan to turn to the Swiss court. We have these plans and will do it after the Olympics," Bout said.
The doping scandal and re-arrangement of the team’s structure affected the Russian rowers’ performance at the Rio Olympics, the RRF president said.
"No doubt, what happened before the Olympics, affected the athletes. Of course, the larger share of this can be explained by the fact that we had to re-arrange the team within the shortest time possible and the athletes had to perform in team combinations unpracticed before. However, amid this background, our athletes showed a worthy result and did everything they could," Bout said.
The sole Russian crew admitted to the Rio Olympics competed in the men’s coxless fours. The Russian quartet comprising Artyom Kosov, Anton Zarutsky, Vladislav Ryabtsev and Nikita Rogachyov ended competing at the Rio Olympics at the stage of semi-finals.
The Summer Olympic Games in Brazil will last through August 21.