More Russian athletes appeal against Olympic bans

Two luge silver medalists are among a further 20 Russian athletes appealing against IOC lifetime Olympic bans.

The latest batch of appeals take the number of Russian competitors fighting bans to 42.

Albert Demchenko and Tatyana Ivanova are among a further 20 Russian athletes to have registered an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the lifetime Olympic bans issued by the IOC.

READ: IOC bans Russia from 2018 Winter Olympics

The luge silver medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics and their fellow athletes were all sanctioned for doping violations after samples from the Games in Sochi were re-analyzed as part of the Oswald Commission.

The latest batch of appeals take the number of Russian competitors fighting bans to 42.

READ: Kremlin: 'Russia ban would be great loss to Games'

CAS has opened a procedure for each athlete, with the decisions of a combined hearing expected before the end of January.

The 2018 Winter Olympics begin Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.