‘Dignified’ ceremonies for cheated medallists

Athletes cheated out of medals by Russian competitors at the 2014 Sochi Olympics will be offered a “dignified” medal ceremony at the next Winter Games in February. “We are doing from our side everything what we can to speed up this procedure,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. Hours earlier, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it registered appeals by 22 Russians against their disqualifications from the Sochi Games for their part in the state-backed conspiracy. Bach said any athletes upgraded in their event by the disqualification of a Russian would be invited to the PyeongChang Olympics. The court said the Russian athletes have also requested verdicts before the PyeongChang Games open on Feb. 9. If cleared, some athletes could be eligible to compete if approved by an IOCcreated panel.