Kamila Valieva’s doping case will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Sunday, with a decision expected the following day as the Russian teenager fights for the right to compete at the Beijing Olympics.
A statement confirmed that CAS will hold a hearing on Sunday at 20:30 local time in Beijing, with a decision anticipated on Monday – just one day before Valieva is due to line up in the ladies’ singles event in the Chinese capital.
CAS confirmed that it had received applications from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Skating Union (ISU) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
All three organizations are seeking to impose a suspension on the 15-year-old after she returned a positive doping result from a sample taken at the Russian championships in December.
Upon receiving the result this week – more than one month after the initial test – the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) imposed a provisional suspension on Valieva, although that was lifted upon appeal from the skater.
WADA, the IOC and ISU are all contesting that decision by a RUSADA panel, and want to see the suspension reinstated.
CAS named the officials who will oversee the hearing, with the panel of arbitrators consisting of Italy’s Fabio Iudica, Jeffrey Benz of the United States, and Dr Vesna Bergant Rakocevic of Slovenia.
The case arose after Valieva had already helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to gold in Beijing with a dazzling performance in the figure skating team event.
Questions have been raised as to why the positive result for the banned heart medicine trimetazidine was only reported after that event had taken place in Beijing.
Officials at RUSADA say that the explanation provided to them was that the WADA-accredited lab in Stockholm, Sweden, which handled the sample was hindered by Covid-related issues.
Valieva trained in Beijing on Saturday, and her coach Eteri Tutberidze later told the media that she had “no doubt” that the Russian and European champion was “clean.”
“I want to say that I’m absolutely certain Kamila is innocent and clean. For us that’s not a theory, but an axiom, it doesn’t need to be proved,” Tutberidze told the media.
Valieva is hot favorite for the women’s singles gold medal in Beijing and holds the world record points score in each of the short and free skate programs, as well as for the overall points tally.
The youngster has already made history in Beijing, becoming the first woman ever to land a quad at the Olympics as she starred in the ROC’s team triumph.
The medal ceremony for that event has been delayed while Valieva’s case plays out.
The youngster has received significant support in her homeland, with Russian Olympic officials noting that she repeatedly passed doping tests both before and after the positive sample from December 25 – including at the Beijing Games.