Teenage Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva has today been cleared to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics despite testing positive for a banned drug – because officials say she is a ‘protected person’ who could suffer ‘irreparable harm’ from a ban.
The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport has sparked outrage from fellow competitors who say it has whiffs of corruption and shows Russia’s ‘disregard for clean sport’.
American former Olympic champion Tara Lipinski said Valieva’s age should