Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said "up to 67 athletes" will apply to track-and-field's world governing body to be exempted from the ban on the Russian team at the Rio Olympics in August.
Mutko made the announcement on June 25, saying the athletes were also prepared to file lawsuits at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) upheld on June 17 its overall ban on the Russian team, imposed over widespread doping.
But the organization allowed exemptions for individual athletes who can show they have been subject to reliable drug testing.
The IAAF is unlikely to approve most of the 67 Russians, since it has indicated the exemption is aimed at a small minority of athletes based outside Russia.
