A Russian teen accused of doping has been cleared to compete in figure skating at the Winter Olym – but there will be no medal ceremony if she finishes in the top three this week.
Kamila Valieva had failed a test for a banned substance, raising questions over whether she would be allowed to take part in her next event on Tuesday.
A sample from the 15-year-old was taken on Christmas Day – and on 8 February, it returned positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication.
What is trimetazidine – the drug at the centre of the Beijing Olym doping scandal?
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Kamila Valieva completed a clean run-through of her short programme in practice on Sunday
A separate investigation led by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency will determine whether Valieva and her Russian teammates can keep the gold medals they won in the team skating event last week.
Why did the court rule in Valieva’s favour?
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cited “exceptional circumstances” for its decision, including Valieva’s status as a “protected person” under the World Anti-Doping Code and “serious issues” in the “untimely” process of notifying her of her result.
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The definition of a “protected person” includes athletes who have not yet turned 16 at the time of a doping violation.
I strongly disagree with this decision. At the end of the day, there was a positive test and there is no question in my mind that she should not be allowed to compete. Regardless of age or timing of the test/results. I believe this will leave a permanent scar on our sport.
— Tara Lipinski (@taralipinski) February 14, 2022
The court also said preventing her from competing in the Games would cause her “irreparable harm”.
It upheld a decision by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to lift her provisional doping suspension – which had been appealed by the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Skating Union.
WADA criticised the ruling, saying the CAS panel decided not to apply the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, which do not allow specific exceptions for “protected persons”.
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Valieva is pictured in Beijing on 6 February. Pic: AP
No medal ceremonies for Valieva
The decision today is only limited to whether Valieva should be provisionally suspended – not whether she violated anti-doping rules, which will be considered in the other investigation.
The International Olympic Committee said it will not hold a medal ceremony for the team skating event – or for the singles competition if Valieva is in the top three.
She is one of the favourites to win gold.
The medals will be retrospectively presented once the full case has been concluded – which could take months or even years.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is “disappointed” by the message the ruling sends.
“Athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field,” said chief executive Sarah Hirshland.
“Unfortunately, today that right is being denied.
“This appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.”
If the Russian figure skating medal is revoked, the US would be in line for gold, having won silver in the competition.
American 1998 Olympic champion figure skater Tara Lipinski said: “This will leave a permanent scar on our sport”.
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The 15-year-old was deemed to be a ‘protected person’. Pic: AP
Why was Valieva’s test result delayed?
Valieva’s positive doping test was only revealed last week after her medal win.
The CAS said the delay hampered her ability to “establish certain legal requirements for her benefit”.
When the result came to light, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency immediately suspended her, then lifted the ban a day later.
WADA blamed the Russian agency for the six-week delay in the test result, saying it failed to tell the processing lab in Sweden that it needed to be fast-tracked.
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency will also lead the longer-term investigation that will determine whether Valieva can keep her medal – but WADA will be able to appeal the decision if it is not satisfied with the outcome.
WADA has also said it wants to investigate Valieva’s entourage.
ANALYSIS BY TOM PARMENTER, SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Carry on skating. Standby for the backlash.
The decision to allow Kamila Valieva to carry on skating means the issue of Russian doping is likely to be THE story of yet another Winter Olym.
It will provoke every clean athlete and coach to wonder why they go to such lengths to prove they are clean.
There’s no doubt the Russian 15-year-old is a victim in all of this.
She was only three years old when her country hosted the Sochi Games in 2014 and were found to be carrying out one of the most blatant doping operations in the history of the sport.
The rationale behind allowing Russian athletes to compete under the flag of their Olympic Committee since that scandal has always been unsatisfactory – for many within Olympic sport it is now intolerable.
When she skates in the indiual competition in Beijing on Tuesday everyone watching will know Kamila Valieva has failed a drugs test, even though it was before this Olympic competition.
The timing of this whole situation is difficult given the grave situation on the border of Ukraine but sport needs to have integrity.
The Winter Olym in particular need to continue reclaiming their integrity – but this decision is preventing that from happening.
