BEIJING – Russian teenager Kamila Valieva has been approved to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics, despite failing a drug test before the game.
The Sports Arbitration Court released his verdict less than 12 hours after a hastily arranged hearing that lasted until early Monday morning that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the ladies’ individual gold, does not need to be temporarily suspended before a full investigation. The court gave her a positive decision in part because she was a minor or “protected person” and was subject to rules other than that of an adult athlete.
“The panel considered that preventing the athlete from competing in the Olympics would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances,” said CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb.
Now Valieva and her other Russian skaters can aim for the first podium for figure skating for women in Olympic history. The event begins with the short program on Tuesday and ends on Thursday with free skating.
Kamila Valieva, from the Russian Olympic Committee, will train at the 2022 Winter Olympics, on Saturday, February 12, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo / Bernat Armangue)
Shortly after the decision, Valieva went in his allotted training time.
The CAS panel also referred to fundamental issues of justice in its judgment, the fact that she was testing purely in Beijing and that there were “serious issues of early notification” of her positive test.
Valieva tested positive for the heart drug trimethazidine on December 25 on the Russian citizens but the result from a Swedish lab did not come out until a week ago, after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee to win the team’s gold.
The reason for the six-week delay in Sweden is unclear, although Russian officials have suggested that it was partly due to an increase in January in the omicron variant of covid-19 cases, which affected staff at the lab.
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) suspended her immediately and then lifted the ban a day later, which put the distribution of the medals in limbo. The IOC and others appealed and a hasty hearing was held on Sunday evening. Valieva testified via video conference.
Athletes under 16 like Valieva have more rights under the anti-doping rules and are usually not held responsible for taking banned drugs. The focus of all future investigations will be on her personal team – coaches, doctors, dietitians, etc.
This ruling only addresses whether Valieva can continue to skate before her case is resolved. That does not determine the fate of the only gold medal she has already won.
Valieva landed the first quadruple jumps of a woman at the Olympics when she won the gold medal of the team competition with the Russian Olympic Committee on Monday. The United States took silver and Japan bronze. Canada placed fourth.
That medal, and every medal she wins in the individual competition, can still be taken from her.
Those issues will be addressed in a separate, long-term investigation of the positive doping test that will be led by RUSADA, which took the test in St. Petersburg. Petersburg.
The World Anti-Doping Agency will have the right to appeal a decision of RUSADA. WADA has also said that they want to investigate Valieva’s entourage.
Source: sn.dk