Speed skating: CAS reject Pechstein's bid to compete

GENEVA (AFP) - – International sport's top court said Friday they had rejected a request filed by German speedskater Claudia Pechstein to compete at World Cup events this month.

Pechstein is in the midst of appealing against a two-year doping ban and ahead of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on her appeal, she is allowed to train but banned from competing in any official skating events.

The court was meant to rule on the five-time Olympic and six-time world champion's case this week, but on Wednesday delayed the ruling by two weeks.

The delay prompted Pechstein to file an urgent request on Thursday night to be allowed to compete at World Cup events this weekend in Berlin and on November 11 to 13 in the Netherlands.

However, CAS said Friday that the "panel in charge of this case has denied the request, emphasizing that the conditions which would allow it to grant the stay were not met."

"In particular, that the athlete had not established in her request that her non-participation in both ISU World Cup events would cause her irreparable harm'," it added.

CAS added they would rule on Pechstein's appeal within the next two weeks.