The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude former Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko from taking part in the Olympic Games, court documents published on Thursday showed.

The IOC in 2017 excluded Mutko from "any participation in all future Olympic Games" as part of Russia's suspension from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics for what it called the "systematic manipulation of the anti-doping system" at the 2014 Games in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

Russia has denied the existence of state-sponsored doping in the country but has acknowledged shortcomings in its enforcement of anti-doping regulations.

Mutko oversaw sport at the height of Russia's doping scandal, serving as Sports Minister from 2008 to 2016. He was also put in charge of sport as deputy prime minister before being named deputy prime minister in charge of construction last year.

Mutko did not answer Reuters phone calls on Thursday. He told the state-run RIA news agency he was pleased with the CAS decision.