Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Moscow in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. Mutko says Russian athletes whose doping bans were lifted deserve to be treated as "clean and honest" at the Pyeongchang Olympics. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
The Associated Press
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) - IOC President Thomas Bach has strongly criticized the midweek ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that lifted Olympic doping bans for 28 Russian athletes, calling it "extremely disappointing and surprising."
"The IOC, we would never have expected this," Bach said Sunday in Pyeongchang, where the Winter Olympics start Friday. "We feel that this decision shows the urgent need for reforms in the internal structure of CAS."
The CAS ruling on Thursday overturned doping bans on 28 Russians, citing insufficient evidence. Russia said it wanted to send 15 of the 28 to Pyeongchang, including gold medal-winning skeleton slider Alexander Tretiakov and cross-country skiing gold medalist Alexander Legkov. Some others, particularly Russia's top bobsledders from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, have already retired.
Bach said an independent panel, chaired by former French sports minister Valerie Fourneyron, would review and make a recommendation on Russian doping cases. He hopes a final decision will be made "in the next couple of days."
The IOC has invited 169 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" under a neutral flag, but IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Saturday that his organization reserves the right to review and appeal the CAS decision.
FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 file photo, Russia's winner Elena Nikitina celebrates after the women's Skeleton World Cup race in Innsbruck, Austria. Russian skeleton slider Elena Nikitina says she's aiming to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned her doping ban. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson, File)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach walks on stage before speaking at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks at a news conference prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The Associated Press