Russian Figure Skater Kamila Valieva Issued 4-Year Ban in Doping Scandal
Kasia Kostraba
Staff Writer
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping case concluded reached a conclusion two years after it was initially brought to light during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that she was banned from international competitions for four years, reports The New York Times. Valieva took the skating world by storm, smashing records and winning gold in both domestic and international competitions throughout her career, however, her guilty ruling, based on a doping test taken on December 25, 2021, put an eventual end to her reign.
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication used to treat heart-related conditions, as it metabolizes fatty acids to help the body use oxygen, according to the European Medicines Agency. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in a case involving the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), International Skating Union (ISU) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) came to the long-awaited decision on the skater’s case, hitting her with a 4-year ban from the sport, reports CNN. As the investigation unfolded As at the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, Valieva was initially not to be named due to her status as a protected minor, however just days after the initial news broke it was leaked that she was the culprit. In her defense presented to CAS, it was said that trimetazidine entered Valieva’s system via a strawberry cake her grandfather prepared for her prior to the 2021 Russian National Championships, reports BBC News. Allegedly he prepared the dessert on the same cutting board he used to crush up his medications, thus contaminating the cake entering Valieva’s system.
The CAS decision stated that Valieva was “an honest, straightforward and credible witness,” but her defense had no concrete evidence and lots of shortcomings, reports NBC News. “There are too many shortcomings in the evidence, and too many unanswered questions, for the panel to decide that her account is more likely than not,” the court said. As a result, CAS upheld WADA’s prior proposition to instate a 4-year ban. Many experts believe this ban could have been shorter if Valieva’s defense was more plausible.
Despite Valieva’s case coming to light during the Olympics, her protected person status allowed her to continue competing in the Games, as no verdict held her guilty yet. She participated in the team event, where Russia was initially deemed victorious over the United States and Japan. At the time medals were not rewarded for the event due to the delicate circumstances of the competition. Following CAS’ ruling, The International Skating Union (ISU) released a statement that disqualified Valieva’s participation in the team event, redistributing medals based on points acquired by her teammates. This changed the awards of the event to United States- gold, Japan- silver, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC)- bronze. The ruling was controversial, despite removing the ROC’s 10 points earned by Valieva, it did not bump up other ladies or add points to their respective team’s results, which would have actually given Canada the bronze medal. The ISU defended their decision in a later statement despite pushback from national federations, saying they based their decision on a comprehensive review of the tournament rules, reports the Associated Press.
Valieva also competed in the individual event days later, where she was a heavy favorite for the gold medal. Despite this, pressure surrounding her case was likely the cause of Valieva’s messy performances, leading her to place 4th overall. Her teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova placed 1st and 2nd , respectively; the girls trained at the same rink under infamous coach Eteri Tutberidze. Tutberidze’s students have dominated the international scene for years. However, their reign is now limited to the domestic circuit as the International Skating Union upholds a ban against Russian athletes due to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Tutberidze is an extremely controversial coach at the center of many abuse cases resulting in lifelong injuries for former students due to her coaching methods, according to Essentially Sports. While many figure skating fans hoped Tutberidze and her team would face punishment in the wake of Valieva’s case, they have remained untouched.
Ultimately, CAS’ ruling stripped Valieva of all results and records, both internationally and domestically, since December 25, 2021, which include her 2021 Russian National Championships gold, 2022 European Championships gold (and world records set at the event), her 2022 Olympic results, and all domestic results after the Russian ban. Per RUSADA protocol, Valieva is unable to train or perform at state-sponsored facilities, which make up an overwhelming majority of rinks in the nation. The ban and a combination of other factors will likely mark the end of 17-year-old Valieva’s once-golden career.
Image courtesy of Getty Images