CAS ruling limits room for 'legal maneuvering' to defend Russian athletes: Kremlin

The logo of the Russian Olympic Committee is seen at its headquarters in Moscow, Russia, July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia had limited time for "legal maneuvering" to defend the rights of its athletes after a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. "Certainly, the court decision was unpleasant and bad news," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists. "To our regret, that decision falls on the eve of the Olympics, so of course legal maneuvering to continue defending the rights of our sportspeople is pretty limited in time now." CAS, sport's highest tribunal, rejected on Thursday Russia's appeal against a doping ban for its entire athletics team from the Rio Olympics. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Alexander Winning)