Elena Anikina has ruled out an immediate appeal to CAS following the IBSF Congress voting to ban Russian athletes ©Getty Images

Elena Anikina, the vice-president of the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia (BFR), has ruled out an immediate appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) Congress changed its statutes to impose an official ban on the country’s athletes from competing at its events.

Delegates at the Congress in Lausanne voted to give the IBSF Executive Committee new powers, with the body now able to "take protective measures in the event of unforeseen events such as terrorism, war, riots, epidemics or nuclear or chemical contamination, for example, to ensure the safe, peaceful and regular holding of races and other IBSF activities".

The IBSF also has the authority to suspend "federations or individuals for the necessary time and cancel or relocate events".

Russia's official state news agency TASS has reported that Anikina believes it is unlikely they will appeal now on the basis that "it will be very difficult to win the trial" due to changes to the IBSF statutes.

"Of course, we will consult with our international lawyers, with the ROC [Russian Olympic Committee] and the Russian Ministry of Sports, but in CAS, most likely, until we go, now it does not make sense," she told TASS.

FIFA, along with UEFA, had its decisions to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions upheld by CAS ©Getty Images
FIFA, along with UEFA, had its decisions to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions upheld by CAS ©Getty Images

The Russian official also pointed to CAS upholding the decisions of world and European football’s governing bodies FIFA and UEFA, who banned Russian national teams and clubs from participating in their competitions.

She remarked: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport not only did not rule on Russian appeals, [but] it simply rejected them."

The IBSF Executive Committee, along with federations like FIFA and UEFA, initially imposed bans on Russia following recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after the invasion of Ukraine.

The IOC applied the same judgement to Belarus for assisting its ally, but the nation is not a member federation of the IBSF.

Anikina has suggested that the BFR will take its time before making an appeal.

"Now we will take a break, since there is still time before the start of the season," she said, as reported by TASS.

It is unclear when Russian athletes will return to IBSF events with the BFR set to wait before appealing to CAS ©Getty Images
It is unclear when Russian athletes will return to IBSF events with the BFR set to wait before appealing to CAS ©Getty Images

"Closer to autumn, I think, there will be an understanding of how to proceed.

"We will develop a clear strategy for protecting our interests, given that our federation as part of the IBSF has not lost its rights and we have the opportunity to make our proposals and conduct the negotiation process, which is very important in today's situation.

"And with the favourable development of events and the correct actions of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, the IBSF Executive Committee can at any time change the decision to suspend our athletes, without waiting for the Congress to be convened.”

The Russian invasion has continued to take its toll on Ukraine, with the United Nations reporting that 5,024 civilians have been killed and 6,520 have been injured as of July 12.

However, it is feared these figures are far higher.

At least 9.1 million refugees have also fled the country.