Twenty-eight Russian athletes have had their bans on competing in Olympic events overturned and their results reinstated.

The athletes were banned for life after investigations found they had been involved in state-backed doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled there was "insufficient" evidence that the 28 - including several medallists - had broken anti-doping rules.

Matthieu Reeb, secretary-general of CAS, said: "This does not mean that these 28 athletes are declared innocent, but in their case, due to insufficient evidence, the appeals are upheld, the sanctions annulled and their individual results achieved in Sochi are reinstated."

Those who have had their bans overturned may be able to gain late entry into the Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang, which start on 9 February.


Image: Matthieu Reeb, secretary-general, Court of Arbitration for Sport

A lawyer has said that they will be seeking to do so but Sky News understands that they can only participate in PyeongChang 2018 if they are invited by the IOC - which they are unlikely to be.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Russia from the Pyeongchang Games, but has invited 169 Russians who had no involvement in doping to take part under a neutral flag.

A 17-month probe by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found "beyond reasonable doubt" the Russian Ministry of Sport and its Olympic preparation team had allowed state-funded doping at Sochi.

The IOC may now be forced to allow in athletes it deems dopers, eight days before the next Games begins.

A total of 43 Russians were originally banned over doping offences at the Sochi Olympics.

CAS also partially upheld appeals for 11 of them, but only lifted their lifetime bans, and continued to prevent them from taking part in Pyeongchang.

The Russian government vehemently denies ever supporting doping.

Image: Russian athletes arrive in South Korea ahead of the Pyeonchang Olympics

Bans on three members of Russia's second unit in the men's four-man bob are among the 11 whose bans have been partially upheld, which means Great Britain's third place is confirmed.

It was thought that the GB bobsleigh team would, as a result of the Russia doping ban, receive the bronze medal, but Sky News has been told they have yet to be officially told they will.

The British Olympic Association hopes, now the appeal hearings are over and the ban is still in place for the Russia bobsleigh team, that the Sochi 2014 medals will now be awarded to Team GB.

Among those now cleared of cheating at Sochi 2014 are men's Olympic skeleton champion Aleksander Tretiakov, the current women's European and World Cup skeleton champion Elena Nikitina and Olympic cross-country gold medallist Alexander Legkov.

The IOC has also banned numerous Russian politicians and officials from the Pyeongchang Games over the doping scandal, including deputy prime minister and former sports minister Vitaly Mutko.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow will continue taking legal measures to defend its athletes.

"We are very glad for our athletes," he added.

Sky News understands the IOC may appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.