ROC called Valieva’s disqualification a declaration of war – Kommersant

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) compared the disqualification of figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years with a declaration of war on Russian sports. The day before, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended her from competition for the maximum possible period for violating anti-doping rules.

“You can believe in a coincidence of circumstances when the test result was made public immediately after the end of the team figure skating tournament that was victorious for Russia. As if by pure coincidence, the ISU will make a decision on approving the medals of the Olympic tournament on February 7, the tenth day of the Games in Sochi. In fact, war was declared on Russian sports, and in it, as we see, all means are good,” says the statement OCD.

The committee said that it was “no longer possible to count on the objectivity and impartiality of the CAS.” The statement states that the doping test of Kamila Valieva, taken in December 2021, was in a Swedish laboratory for a month and a half, contrary to the established deadlines.

The Russian Olympic Committee also announced that the awards won by the Russian team are not legally subject to revision. The results of the team do not depend on the consideration of the skater’s case in accordance with the rules of the competition. CAS, the statement said, did not consider the issue of team performance.

On the eve of CAS published the decision to disqualify Kamila Valieva for a period of four years, which is counted from December 25, 2021, when the skater passed a positive doping test for trimetazidine. The court also ruled that the athlete will be stripped of all competition results and awards she received after passing the positive test. These include nine titles, including the championship of Russia and Europe, gold of the first stage of the Russian Grand Prix 2022/23, silver of the Russian Championship 2023, etc.

In December 2023, TASS, citing the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), reported that over the past year the agency tested the skater for doping twice – in July and November. Based on the results of the inspection, RUSADA ruled that Valieva had committed a doping violation, but did not find any signs of “guilt or negligence” in her actions. The agency said that imposing sanctions on her is unacceptable.

Kamila Valieva does not admit guilt. Her defense claims that trimetazidine was used by the athlete’s grandfather after heart surgery. Valieva herself believes that the drug entered her body due to the fact that she drank from the same mug as her grandfather.

More details in the text “Kommersant” “The case of Kamila Valieva has taken a disqualification turn”.

Petr Buzlaev