MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In July, Efimova filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over her doping-related ban on participation in the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Brazil. The appeal was related to an International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to ban Russian athletes with a previous record of doping from the Games, even if they had served their suspensions. On Thursday, CAS ruled against the ban, calling it unenforceable and in violation of athletes' rights.
"FINA said that it supports the rights of Efimova, Anastasia Krapivina, Mikhail Dovgaluk, Daria Ustinova and Nataliya Lovtsova to being allowed to take part in the Games and has sent its recommendation to CAS," Salnikov told R-Sport.
On Thursday, FINA cleared 29 Russian swimmers to take part in the Games. Vladimir Morozov, Nikita Lobintsev as well as Ustinova and Efimova, previously declared ineligible to compete by the federation, were not initially on the list. Lobintsev and Morozov, who had also successfully appealed their ban at the CAS, were notified of their admission.
Efimova, who has the bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics Games, was disqualified in 2014 until February 28, 2015, after positive test for an endogenous steroid hormone.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) later made a decision not to ban the entire Russian Olympic team from participating in the Rio Olympics, choosing to leave it to individual sports federations to decide on athletes' participation.
The IOC Review Panel was tasked with examining the international federations’ decisions in relation to the entry of each individual athlete.
