CAS disqualified figure skater Valieva for 4 years in a doping case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has disqualified Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years, starting in December 2021, with the forfeiture of all awards received during that period.

The International Skating Union ISU and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) demanded a four-year disqualification for Valieva.

According to the CAS decision, the figure skater’s disqualification begins on December 25, 2021. On that day, 15-year-old Valieva became the champion of Russia in figure skating and secured a ticket to the 2022 Olympics. On the same day, she passed the traditional doping test for winners and prize-winners, which turned out to be positive: trimetazidine, which is banned for athletes, was found in it.

However, this became known only after the team tournament at the Olympics in Beijing, which was won by a team of figure skaters from Russia. The award did not take place (the other teams are still waiting for Olympic medals), but Valieva was still allowed to participate in the individual tournament, where she took fourth place. The first and second places were taken by Russians Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, and the third place was taken by Japanese Kaori Sakamoto.

In December 2022, the Russian Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee (DAC RUSADA) found Valieva innocent, but annulled her victory at the pre-Olympic Championship of Russia. ISU, WADA, and RUSADA filed appeals against this decision (the disciplinary committee operates independently of it). The latter acknowledged Valieva’s guilt, but asked for a lenient punishment.

In defense of Valieva, her entourage voiced different versions of the introduction of a prohibited drug into the figure skater’s body. The main one is her grandfather’s glass, from which Valieva allegedly drank before the start. The second was voiced by her trainer Etera Tutberidze in an interview with Leonid Slutsky: according to her, Valieva ate ice cream from a volunteer and drank tea offered to her by a masseuse. Also, the journalist Vlad Zhukov found out that another version could be connected with Valieva’s dog, but it was rejected, “because it was very unlikely.”

• After the Olympics, Valieva, with an open doping case, continued to compete in domestic competitions, some of which she won. Large financial payments were provided for the victory.