CAS opens cases for 39 Russian athletes' Sochi doping bans

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The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) opened a full week of appeal hearings on Monday for 39 Russian winter sports athletes, disqualified from the 2014 Sochi Olympics for taking part in a state-backed doping program.

Some athletes hope to overturn their Olympic life bans and clear their names to compete in the invitation-only "Olympic Athlete from Russia" team at the PyeongChang Games, which will open on February 9 in South Korea.

Verdicts are not expected to be delivered before January 30 or 31, according to CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb. It would be at least two days after the official deadline for Olympic entries on Sunday.

Two key prosecution witnesses, Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov and World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren are set to testify by video or telephone link to the closed-door hearings.

Reeb said both men would each give evidence in a single block with "no repeated testimonies" for individual athlete hearings.

Files from the International Olympic Committee are delivered to the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Geneva. /VCG Photo

The 39 athletes appealing are among 46 Russian cases from Sochi investigated last year by an International Olympic Committee disciplinary panel.

Also on Monday, the uniforms of Russian athletes who are not officially permitted to represent Russia at the upcoming Winter Olympics were released in Moscow.

Russia was banned from competing in PyeongChang by the IOC due to widespread and systematic doping at the Sochi winter games in 2014. However, vetted individual athletes have been allowed to participate as "Olympic Athlete from Russia".

Designer of the uniform was not allowed to use the Russian coat of arms, the flag, and the Olympic symbols.