The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called for an expedited investigation into the case of Beijing 2022 Olympic figure skating champion Kamila Valieva, and the organization is now awaiting a decision.
On September 14, Veronika Loginova, director general of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), told that the agency had completed its investigation into the Kamila Valieva case. She later added that hearings could be held in late September or early October at the RUSADA Disciplinary Commission.
“As far as I know, a date has been set for a hearing, so we have to wait for the decision of the Disciplinary Committee. Then WADA will decide what to do, this is not the best time to discuss the topic. We are following this case very closely and last month I noted the need to speed up the process. We now know that the hearings will be held very soon”, said Witold Banka, the President of WADA.
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 Kamila 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 (ISU) 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 . Valieva was allowed to participate in the individual Olympic figure skating tournament, where she took fourth place.
The 16-year-old Kamila Valieva won the Olympic team title in Beijing. She also became European champion that year.
