The athletes, including London 2012 Olympic 3,000 metres steeplechase champion Yuliya Zaripova and Olympic 50km walking champion Sergey Kirdyapkin, have all been banned by RUSADA.

However, the IAAF disagrees with the "selective" disqualification of results.

RUSADA banned Zaripova for two years in January, backdated to July 2013, and said her Olympic gold medal would be annulled but not her 2011 World Championships gold.

"The IAAF confirms having filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Lausanne, Switzerland against the decisions rendered by RUSADA in the cases of Valeriy Borchin, Olga Kaniskina, Sergey Bakulin, Sergey Kirdyapkin, Vladimir Kanaykin and Yuliya Zaripova," athletics' world governing body said in a statement.

"All six cases arose from the IAAF Athlete Biological Passport programme launched in 2009 and had been referred to the Russian authorities for adjudication in accordance with IAAF rules.

"While the IAAF agrees with RUSADA that there is, in each case, sufficient evidence of an anti-doping rule violation and that there are aggravating circumstances justifying an increased sanction of more than two years, the IAAF disagrees with the selective disqualification of results applied by RUSADA as a consequence of the previous rulings."

Following a positive doping test Sergey Kirdyapkin has now lost a world title, but retains others, including his Olympic gold ©AFP/Getty Images


Kirdyapkin and fellow race walkers Borchin, 2011 world champion Bakulin and Kanaykin were suspended in January.

Kanaykin received a life ban for repeat offences.

The decision with respect to the case of heptathlete Tatyana Chernova, arising from the re-analysis of her urine sample collected at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and kept by the IAAF as part of its retesting strategy, is still under review.

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