Paralympics-Russia will appeal against Rio ban in Swiss court

MOSCOW, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) has launched an appeal in the Swiss Federal Court against the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to uphold a blanket ban on their athletes competing at next month's Rio Games. "The appeal has been launched in the Swiss court," the Interfax news agency quoted RFC president Vladimir Lukin as saying on Friday. The appeal will be held on Monday. Earlier this week the CAS, sport's highest tribunal, rejected an RPC appeal against the ban issued by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The IPC decision followed revelations of widespread cheating in Russian sport that ignited a doping scandal that has threatened to split the Olympic Movement. The Rio Paralympics run from Sept. 7-18. (Reporting by Dmitriy Rogovitskiy; Editing by Tony Jimenez)