Valieva to testify as doping case decision looms
Kamila Valieva will be among those to testify via video link in her doping case as the Russian teenage figure skating sensation fights for the right to compete again at the Beijing Olympics.
Valieva’s case will be heard by a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel in Beijing on Sunday evening local time, with a decision expected on Monday – just one day before the 15-year-old gold medal favorite is due to line up in the ladies’ singles event in the Chinese capital.
“The athlete will be online and she will testify,” CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said just ahead of the hearing, which was due to start at 20:30 local time.
“We suppose she will speak in Russian, and we have an interpreter,” Reeb added, according to the AP.
Valieva and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) are up against the combined might of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Skating Union (ISU), all of whom are seeking to reimpose a suspension on the skater for a positive doping sample taken on December 25 at the Russian championships.
The result was only reported last week after Valieva had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to win the gold medal in the figure skating team event in Beijing.
RUSADA initially imposed a provisional suspension on Valieva, but that was lifted upon appeal.
The skater’s coach Eteri Tutberidze and the Russian figure skating federation have said they have “no doubts” that the star is clean, after she tested positive for minimal traces of the heart medicine trimetazidine.
A CAS panel made up of Italy’s Fabio Iudica, Jeffrey Benz of the United States, and Dr Vesna Bergant Rakocevic of Slovenia will rule on the case.
Ahead of the hearing, Valieva was seen training in Beijing on Sunday alongside teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova – both of whom are also trained by Tutberidze.
The reigning European and Russian champion, Valieva has been offered fervent support in her homeland, including from the Kremlin.
The ROC has noted that Valieva repeatedly passed doping tests before and after the positive sample taken in December – including at the Beijing Games.
Questions have been asked as to why results from the positive sample – which was sent to a WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm – took more than six weeks to be reported.
RUSADA officials said they received the explanation that Covid-related issues had caused delays at the Swedish laboratory.
Heading into the Beijing Games, Valieva was the strong favorite for gold, boasting women’s world record scores for her short and free skate programs, as well a record overall points tally.
Valieva has already made history in Beijing, becoming the first female figure skater ever to land a quad at the Olympics when she starred in the ROC’s victory in the team event.
