Ukrainian Olympic star in drug test shock
Ukrainian cross-country skier Valentyna Kaminska has been suspended after testing positive for three banned substances at the Winter Olympics, failing an International Testing Agency (ITA) check made at the Games on Thursday.
The 34-year-old gave a sample on the day of the third of her four races in Beijing, with a a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Beijing detecting an anabolic androgenic steroid and two stimulants, all of which are on the agency's banned list.
The laboratory works on a quick turnaround of samples during the Games, allowing analysis and result-reporting in less than 48 hours.
Kaminska's test required more time for analysis because it contained multiple banned substances, the ITA said.
#Beijing2022 - The ITA reports that a sample collected from cross-country skier Valentyna Kaminska (Ukraine) has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for mesterolone, methylhexaneamine and heptaminol.▶️ https://t.co/PQHjdozehBpic.twitter.com/M8n8m7OHw4
— International Testing Agency (@IntTestAgency) February 16, 2022
In a statement, the ITA added that it had informed Kaminska and provisionally suspended her in line with its code and International Olympic Committee rules at the Games.
The result means that Kaminska cannot train, coach or participate in any activity in Beijing.
She has the right to request analysis of a B-sample and can challenge the suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Kaminska is the second athlete to test positive at the Games after Iranian Alpine skier Hossein Saveh-Shemshaki, who was provisionally suspended last week.
CAS and testing laboratories have hit the headlines in recent days because of the anti-doping case surround figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) prodigy was allowed to continue competing at the Games in a ruling by the court after it was announced that she tested positive for a banned substance in a sample in December.
The test took more than six weeks to return from a Stockholm laboratory accredited by WADA, leading to urgent questions around why the results were revealed just a day after Valieva helped the ROC to win team gold at the Games, giving the 15-year-old's team little time to mount a defense over the non-performance enhancing heart drug.
Valieva finishes her campaign in the singles finale on Thursday. The Games continue until February 20 2022.
