Kamila Valieva of the ROC during a practice session on day nine of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium, China.
Andrew Milligan | PA images | beautiful pictures
Russian teen figure skater Kamila Valieva has been allowed to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics despite failing a drug test before the Games.
Court of Arbitration for Sports ruled less than 12 hours after a hastily settled hearing that lasted until early Monday morning that 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the women’s individual gold medal, does not need to be temporarily suspended in advance. when fully investigated. The court gave her a favorable decision in part because she was a minor or a “protected person” and was subject to different rules than an adult athlete.
“The panel found that preventing the athlete from competing at the Olympics would have caused her irreparable harm under the circumstances,” said CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb.
Now, Valieva and her fellow Russian skaters can aim to win the first women’s figure skating championship in Olympic history. The event begins with a short show on Tuesday and ends on Thursday with free skates.
The panel also cited underlying issues of fairness in its decision, the fact that she had a clean check in Beijing and that there was a “serious problem of untimely notification” of the results. her positive test.
Valieva has tested positive for heart drugs trimetazidine 25 at the Russian national team but results from the Swedish lab were not released until a week ago, after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee win a team gold medal.
Russia’s anti-doping agency immediately suspended her, then lifted the ban a day later, leaving medal awards in limbo. The IOC and others appealed and an urgent hearing was held on Sunday night. Valieva testified via videoconference.
Athletes under the age of 16 like Valieva have more rights under anti-doping rules and are generally not liable for drug use. The focus of any future investigation will be on her personal team – coaches, doctors, nutritionists, etc.
This ruling only addresses whether Valieva can continue skating before her case is resolved. It does not determine the fate of a gold medal she has won.
Valieva performed the first four-goal jump by a woman at the Olympics as she won the team event gold medal with the Russian Olympic Committee on Monday.
That medal, and any medals she won in the individual competition, could still be taken from her.
Disclosure: CNBC’s parent company NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the owner of the US broadcasting rights to all Summer and Winter Olympics through 2032.
