The International Tribunal for Sports (TAS) imposed a four-year ban on Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva on Monday. Seventeen-year-old Valieva, then fifteen, tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine on December 25, 2021, in the run-up to the Winter Games in Beijing. Her suspension will take effect retroactively on December 25, 2021. All Russian results since that date will be deleted.
The news only broke after the Games were underway in February. Valieva had already won gold with the Russian team at that time. Given her young age, the Russian was allowed by the TAS to continue to participate in the Olympic tournament under a “protected status”. But the pressure became too much for her and during the free freestyle of the individual competition she piled up mistakes as the top favorite. Valieva surprisingly finished off the podium. Loena Hendrickx finished eighth in Beijing and now moves up to seventh place due to the elimination of Valieva. Even more: the current European figure skating champion will still win the bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships due to this decision.
In January 2023, the controversial Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA ruled that a sanction for the athlete was not necessary. RUSADA acknowledged that there had been a breach of anti-doping regulations, but found that there was no breach or negligence on Valieva’s part when she tested positive ahead of the Winter Games. WADA appealed against this to the TAS and was joined by the international skating association ISU and, remarkably, also by RUSADA itself, which did not agree with the ruling of its own disciplinary committee.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet awarded any medals for the team competition in Beijing pending the verdict. Russia won there, ahead of the United States, Japan and Canada.
“Victory for a pure sport”
The World Anti-Doping Agency WADA responded with satisfaction to the four-year doping ban. “Doping children is unforgivable,” he said. Valieva was only fifteen when she came into contact with the doping lamp in the run-up to the Beijing Games. The International Skating Union ISU has now raised the minimum age for figure skaters to seventeen.
The top three of the last European Championship, with Hendrickx and Pinzarrone — © AP
“Doctors, coaches and other supervisors who administer prohibited substances to minors should receive the most severe punishment possible under the World Anti-Doping Code,” WADA ruled. “We further encourage governments to consider such acts as criminal and include them in the criminal code. This was already happening in some countries.”
“This is a victory for WADA, for clean sport and for athletes worldwide,” said WADA President Witold Banka. “Anyone who dopes children should be in jail.”
Valieva and her legal team have 30 days to appeal the TAS decision to the Swiss Supreme Court. This can only be done on the basis of procedural errors.