Bid fails for Olympic women's 50km walk

Australia's Claire Woods is among a group of women's walkers who have failed in a bid to have a 50km race put on the Tokyo Olympics program.

Woods and others had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), alleging discrimination against women by not including a 50km race while a men's event over the distance has been scheduled.

But CAS has ruled it doesn't have the jurisdiction to rule on the appeals by Woods and others against the International Olympic Committee and World Athletics decision.

American lawyer Paul DeMeester launched the appeal on behalf of Woods and others, claiming the Olympic Charter's gender equality edict should ensure a women's 50km walk was included.

A women's 50km walk has never featured at an Olympics but the men's event has been on the program at every Games since 1932, except for 1976.

Australia's Jared Tallent won 50km walk gold at the 2012 London Olympics and silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Games and in 2016 in Rio.

A women's 50km walk was added to the world championships schedule in London three years ago but only seven athletes took part. The event was also part of last year's world championships in Doha.

Woods wasn't among the field in either world title edition of the event.