New details in the “case” Kamila Valieva: According to information from the “New York Times”, three different substances for the treatment of heart problems were discovered in the doping sample of the 15-year-old figure skater – one forbidden and two allowed.
This emerges from a document that was presented to the CAS at the hearing about the Russian woman’s starting permission in the individual competition at the Winter Games in Beijing.
Valieva, who won the short program on Tuesday after the vortex and started Thursday’s freestyle as the favorite, had argued before the judges of the ad hoc commission of the Sports Court that her sample for the drug trimetazidine had been contaminated by a drug from her grandfather. This was confirmed by the Swiss Denis Oswald, Chairman of the IOC Disciplinary Commission.
According to the New York Times, Valieva’s grandfather said in a video message to the Russian anti-doping authorities, RUSADA, that he was taking the drug trimetazidine to treat “attacks”. Russian media reported that Valieva allegedly drank from the same glass as her grandfather.
Her mother said Valieva takes the drug Hypoxen for cardiac arrhythmias. L-carnitine, which can help against circulatory disorders, also appeared in the analysis.
Was Valieva actually threatened with “irreparable damage”?
Valieva was tested at the Russian championships on December 25, but the result of the sample, which was evaluated at the laboratory in Stockholm, was not available until February 8 – a day after Russia’s victory in the Olympic team competition.
Nevertheless, the RUSADA lifted Valieva’s suspension, the IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA and the World Skating Federation ISU had appealed against it, but lost before the CAS.
He justified his judgment with the age of Valieva, who is considered to be in need of protection when she is under 16. In addition, due to the delay in evaluating the sample, she had no chance of reacting to a suspension in a legally appropriate manner. Exclusion from the Beijing Games would have caused Valieva “irreparable damage,” the CAS judges said.
Whether and which sanctions threaten the European champion will only be decided in a further procedure after the games, in which she is running with reservations.