The Kamila Valiyeva case is still making waves two years after the positive doping test. Now the Cas has made a ruling that also affects the gold medals.
Due to the suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Waliyeva, the US selection will subsequently be awarded Olympic victory in the team competition in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee informed the US National Olympic Committee of this on Monday, the AP news agency and the newspaper “USA Today” reported, among others.
The US Figure Skating Association posted a picture of the team with a gold medal on the X platform (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “We are extremely proud of our 2022 Olympic champions.” The comment was accompanied by the hashtag “MoreThanMedals” (more than just medals).
“Of course we don’t agree with it”
On Monday, almost two years after the Olympic scandal, the Cas International Court of Arbitration for Sport subsequently banned Russian figure skater Valiyeva for four years. This means that Russia’s team also loses the team gold that the then 15-year-old won at the Winter Games in Beijing. Valiyeva’s ban begins retroactively from December 25, 2021.
The Kremlin had criticized the Cas ruling as politically motivated and announced a legal fight. “Of course we don’t agree with this,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in St. Petersburg. If there are legal remedies against the verdict, then Russia should use them, he said, according to the Tass agency. “We must defend the interests of our athletes to the last.”
The case of Valiyeva, now 17, has been keeping sports lawyers busy since the 2022 Winter Olympics. After the team competition, the figure skater’s positive doping test became known. Valiyeva tested positive for the banned drug trimetazidine at the national championships in December 2021.
Since Valiyeva was only 15 years old at the time, she was considered a “protected person” under the World Anti-Doping Code whose identity should not have been revealed. However, the secrecy failed. Walijewa’s legally enforced start in the Olympic women’s singles ended as a scandal with a tearful routine, the favorite only ended up in fourth place.