The Olympic champion in figure skating from Beijing 2022, Kamila Valieva, in July gave her first doping test since the beginning of 2022 at the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), which is investigating the athlete.
In total, RUSADA tested 12 Russian figure skaters for doping in July. Alexandra Trusova, Daria Usacheva, Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin took tests for the third time in 2022. For the first time in seven months, the Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova, Sofia Akatieva, Dario Cirisano, Sofia Leontieva, and Elizaveta Pasechnik have been tested for doping.
In 2021, RUSADA tested Kamila Valieva once – on December 25, during the Russian championship in Chelyabinsk, and the athlete’s doping sample was sent to a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Stockholm. On February 8, during the Beijing Games, it became known that the banned drug trimetazidine, which falls under the S4 classification of the WADA list (hormones and metabolic modulators), was found in Kamila Valieva’s sample. It is used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as it normalizes the energy metabolism of cells. The drug does not have any effect on the results of athletes, but its use is prohibited both during competition and in the non-competitive period.
On February 8, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency imposed a provisional suspension on Valieva, which she successfully contested before the Independent Disciplinary Commission of RUSADA the following day. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), WADA and the International Skating Union appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
CAS dismissed the charges, holding that based on the very limited facts of this case and after consideration of the relevant legal issues, the suspension could not be imposed on the figure skater due to exceptional circumstances, as minor athletes are “protected persons” under the World Anti-Doping Code. Kamila Valieva was allowed to participate in the individual Olympic figure skating tournament, where she took fourth place.
On August 8, RUSADA informed that the investigation conducted by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency against Kamila Valieva is in the final stage and the results of the investigation will soon be handed over to the results processing department.
