PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Last-minute legal maneuvering by Russia could open the way for more of its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics despite efforts to bar the country entirely from the Games over its state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Russia has filed appeals with sports’ highest court to gain admission for a total of 47 athletes, including 15 who joined the case on Wednesday. The Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to hold a hearing on those athletes’ cases on Thursday, the day preliminary competition begins at the Olympics ahead of the opening ceremony Friday evening.