Valieva will be deprived of the gold medal of the championship of Russia because of the doping scandal

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of its decision in the case of figure skater Kamila Valieva. RUSADA found that although the athlete committed an anti-doping rule violation, she bears “no fault” for it. Thus, the court did not impose any sanctions, with the exception of the disqualification of her results on the date of sampling – December 25, 2021. On this day, Kamila Valieva won a gold medal at the Russian Championship in St. Petersburg.

“WADA has requested a copy of the full reasoned decision, which it will review along with the case file to determine whether the decision is in line with the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code. However, based on the elements of the case with which WADA is already familiar, the agency is concerned about the finding of “no fault or negligence,” the World Anti-Doping Agency said.

WADA stressed that it would “without hesitation” exercise its right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, depending on the situation.

On December 25, 2021, WADA found traces of the banned drug trimetazidine in a sample of 15-year-old Kamila Valieva. The results of the examination were made public in February 2022, after the Beijing Olympics. The figure skater claims that the drug could have entered her body by accident. On November 8 this year, the case of the Russian figure skater sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. WADA demanded to punish her with a disqualification for four years.

Daria Erozbek