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GENEVA -- Much of the intense Olympic action before the Rio de Janeiro Games open in less than two weeks is set to play out in the law courts.For many Russian athletes caught up in a doping scandal, a legal fight -- and a race against time to get the verdict they want -- is their biggest barrier to competing.The Court of Arbitration for Sport already handed one defeat to Russia on Thursday. It rejected an appeal by 67 Russian track and field athletes who the International Association of Athletics Federation had declared ineligible for Rio after previously banning their national federation from international competitions.On Sunday, the International Olympic Committees executive board will consider banning all Russian teams from the Summer Games because of a state-sponsored doping conspiracy.If the IOC imposes the toughest punishment, the Russian OIympic committee could then also challenge it at CAS, which opens a special Olympic court in Rio next week.Cases can go above world sports appeal court. Just a short walk from CASs headquarters in Lausanne is Switzerlands supreme court -- the Swiss Federal Tribunal.Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko already suggested that the 67 athletes could defend their honor and dignity by going to a higher civil court.Many try but few succeed in persuading Swiss federal judges to overturn CAS verdicts.---WHO CAN APPEAL A CAS VERDICT?Anyone who loses before a typical three-member panel of CAS judges can file a further appeal at its home countrys highest civil court, the Swiss Federal Tribunal.A federal case is slow and tough to win, with few grounds of appeal.Federal judges intervene if legal process was abused but will not re-examine the merits of a case.A faster option for Russian appeals would be for a provisional measure -- an interim ruling to freeze a verdict pending the full case.---WHO HAS BEATEN CAS AT FEDERAL COURT?Very few cases, at a rate of about one per year of around 400 arbitration and appeal processes annually.It is even possible to overturn a CAS verdict in the federal court and still lose the re-trial. That happened to tennis player Guillermo Canas of Argentina in 2007.Canas was initially banned for two years by the ATP Tours anti-doping tribunal, and saw that reduced to 15 months at CAS.When Canas went to federal court, Swiss judges ruled his right to be heard had been breached and sent back the case. A second CAS hearing also applied a 15-month ban.---WHATS THE BEST WAY TO BEAT CAS?Federal judges have set aside several verdicts on the grounds that CAS did not have jurisdiction to judge the original case. Those cases include a win and a loss for the International Ice Hockey Federation.The IIHF lost to a German international player whose ban for refusing a doping test was overturned. It then won a million-dollar compensation case against Swiss hockey champion Bern.CAS had awarded the club damages for lost earnings when the 2009-10 Champions Hockey League folded due to the main sponsor, Russian energy giant Gazprom, pulling out.---IS THERE AN EXCEPTION TO GIVE RUSSIA HOPE?The case of Brazilian soccer player Matuzalem stands out for federal judges intervening to say: Enough is enough.He won a supreme court ruling in 2012 over a manifest and serious attack on his rights by FIFA and CAS.Matuzalem broke his contract to force a transfer and was ordered to compensate his former club, Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine, around $15 million.When the player struggled to pay, and broke FIFAs disciplinary rules, he filed a further round of appeals to CAS and the federal court.Federal judges objected to Shakhtar having the power to request a ban, which itself could curb Matuzalems ability to earn and repay the debt.In exceptional cases, a sentence can be annulled for violation of the essential principles of the judicial system, named `the public order, the federal court said.Could Russian authorities or athletes eventually persuade Swiss judges that an Olympic ban is a similar violation?Unlikely, but perhaps not impossible. Cheap Salomon . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Salomon Outlet Online . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. http://www.cheapsalomon.net/ . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Salomon Clearance Sale . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. Salomon Shoes From China . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. DALLAS -- The Stars signed defenseman Dan Hamhuis to a two-year, $7.5 million contract in the opening hours of free agency Friday, providing another veteran to a strong young group on the blue line.Dallas also re-signed forward Patrick Eaves to a one-year deal and added a pair of defensemen in Andrew Bodnarchuk and Dustin Stevenson.The 33-year-old Hamhuis has split his 12-year career in two places, first with six seasons in Nashville and then six more in Vancouver. He has 303 points (55 goals, 248 assists) in 872 career games.Hamhuis joins Dallas as it appears set to replace two veterans at the blue line.Alex Goligoski signed with Arizona after the Stars traded his rights to them before the draft. Kris Russell is a free agent after coming to Dallas at the trading deadline to boost the defense for a team that ended up as the top seed in the Western Conference. The Stars lost to St. Louis in seven games in the second round.Last summer, the Stars signed 12-year veteran ddefenseman Johnny Oduya away from Chicago with a deal almost identical to the one Hamhuis signed.dddddddddddd. Now the pair will lead a talented young core highlighted by John Klingberg and Stephen Johns.The Stars were inconsistent last season in front of their goalie tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, and general manager Jim Nill reiterated Friday that he intends to bring back both goaltenders.Eaves had 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 54 games for Dallas last season, and recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in nine playoff games. The 32-year-old has 190 points (99 goals, 91 assists) in 545 career games.The 27-year-old Bodnarchuk had stints with Columbus and Colorado last season while also spending time with Lake Erie of the American Hockey League. The 26-year-old Stevenson spent last season with Stockton of the AHL. ' ' '