U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Blasts Russia’s Finding That Figure Skater Kamila Valieva Was At ‘No Fault’ In Doping Scandal

Topline

An anti-doping agency in Russia determined on Friday that 16-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva was at “no fault or negligence” after testing positive for prohibited substances before the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, although the World Anti-Doping Agency and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency both blasted the decision, and an appeal could be coming.

Key Facts

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, a staunch critic of Russia’s Olympic Committee over its alleged state-sponsored doping scheme, slammed the Russian agency, saying the world “can’t possibly accept this self-serving decision.”

In a statement, the World Anti-Doping Agency—an organization created by the International Olympic Committee to monitor drug use—said it will “not hesitate to exercise its right to appeal” to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying it’s “concerned” with the Russian agency’s decision.

The WADA had previously sought to strip Valieva’s results and impose a four-year ban on the Russian athlete, whose failed drug test in late 2021 was reported after she led her team to a gold medal in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, sending shockwaves through the figure skating community.

The Russian agency’s ruling, however, is far more lenient, disqualifying Valieva’s results from one day of the December 2021 Russian national championships, when the drug test was taken.

The agency’s decision on Friday comes two months after the WADA sent the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing the Russian Anti-Doping Agency was taking too long in its review, although CAS cases typically last months or years, NBC Sports reported.

Key Background

Valieva tested positive in December, 2021, for the banned drug trimetazidine, which is often used to treat chest pain due to reduced blood flow. Valieva, who was 15 years old at the time of the drug test, was a heavy favorite for the gold medal in Beijing and the first woman to ever land a quadruple jump at the games, faced heavy pushback from the figure skating community for the drug test. Days later, however, Valieva was allowed to compete in the singles event, with a panel within the Court of Arbitration for Sport determining that barring her from competition would have caused the 15-year-old “irreparable harm.” She placed fourth in the singles event, just missing the podium.

Tangent

The Russian Olympic Committee had previously come under fire in 2019 for allegedly leading a doping scheme involving multiple athletes, prompting the World Anti-Doping Agency to ban the country from international competition for four years, including the Beijing Olympics, where Valieva competed under a neutral flag.

Further Reading

Kamila Valieva: What We Know About Russian Olympic Skater’s Reported Positive Drug Test (Forbes)

RUSADA: ‘No fault’ for skater Kamila Valieva in doping probe (ESPN)

‘A Complete Joke’: Figure Skating Community Outraged Over Decision To Let Kamila Valieva Compete In Olympics (Forbes)