Russia has signaled it will file an appeal against its four-year Olympic ban due to World Anti-Doping Agency sanctions.

The Russian anti-doping agency's supervisory board voted Thursday to file an arbitration case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. The decision must be approved by another panel of Russian sports and anti-doping figures, but that seems a formality.

Senior political figures including President Vladimir Putin had signaled they wanted an appeal filed.

The WADA sanctions, announced last week, ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years, including next year's Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup.

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