“Everything was right in her programs. I’m really amazed at how she embodies this charisma and experience on the ice at the age of 15, how light-footed the jumps look – and where she gets this self-confidence from.” This is how double Olympic champion Katarina Witt comments on the skills and appearance of Kamila Valiewa. The youngster won her first international title at the European Championships in Tallinn in January and is considered the great hope of Russian winter sports athletes.
But instead of being the spotlight on the ice, Valiyeva is currently the focus of an alleged doping scandal. Valiyeva is accused of taking the banned heart drug trimetazidine. The award ceremony in the team event, in which the Russian athletes won gold, was therefore postponed at short notice. Before the developments, Valiewa was considered the top favorite for the individual competition.
What is the current status of the controversial case? What effect does trimetazidine have on the body and what is the next step for Valiyeva? Answers to the most important questions.
Who are the key players?
There are the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Test Agency Ita, which is acting on behalf of the IOC in the legal dispute that is developing, but is otherwise supposed to act and work independently of the committee. The Russian anti-doping agency Rusada, the World Anti-Doping Federation Wada and the Sports Court Cas are other important players – alongside Valiyeva herself and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
Where is the case currently hanging?
The case lies with the International Sports Court Cas. The Russian anti-doping agency Rusada issued a temporary ban after the allegations against Valiyeva, but lifted it again on Wednesday after Valiyeva objected. The IOC is appealing against this decision before the Cas. The women’s individual competition, in which Valiyeva, who also trained in Beijing on Friday, is among the favourites, takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Therefore, a decision by the Cas before February 15th is necessary, said the test agency Ita. The actual doping procedure of the Rusada, which also includes the athlete’s right to demand an opening of the B sample, will be continued “in due course”, the Ita lets know.
Why is trimetazidine on the doping list?
The drug trimetazidine is prescribed to treat angina pectoris, a painful chest tightness in the heart area, and can increase endurance and blood flow, according to Wada. “Like other metabolic modulators, trimetazidine is intended to ensure the supply of energy and oxygen to the muscle cells, even during intensive training, and thus support the build-up of muscle mass,” writes also the German pharmacy newspaper. It has been on the banned drug list since 2014. In 2018 in Pyeongchang, the Russian bobsledder Nadescha Sergeyeva was tested, and the Chinese swimmer Sun Yang was once caught with trimetazidine.
When did Valiyeva test positive?
According to Ita, the sample in question was taken before the Games, on December 25 at the Russian Figure Skating Championships, according to Ita. The laboratory in Stockholm, accredited by the World Anti-Doping Association WADA, announced the positive result on Tuesday after an analysis – one day after the Olympic team competition. The Russian team won this ahead of the USA and Japan. However, the award ceremony had been postponed because of a “legal matter”, as it was initially said.
Why was the sample taken in December, but the result only passed on so late?
This is a central question in the case, which is still open. the New York Times reported citing doping experts not involved in the case, that samples in connection with such large events as the Olympic Games are actually processed with preference. The IOC has so far kept a low profile on the question. It depends on “many circumstances” when and in which case a positive test result can be reported, said IOC spokesman Mark Adams.
What do the Russian officials say?
“The doping control of an athlete who tests positive does not apply to the period of the Olympic Games,” the ROC said somewhat cryptically in a statement. Doping tests at Valiewa at the European Championships in January and at the games in Beijing were negative. You will fight for “the honestly won Olympic gold medal”.
How does the positive test affect the competition?
The decision on the outcome of the team competition, in which the German team took ninth place, could only be made by the world figure skating association ISU after the entire case had been completed, according to a statement by Ita. And it is not yet known whether the postponed medal ceremony should be made up for. The IOC is keeping a low profile on this.
Is this the first positive doping test at these games?
No. The first positive result came from Iranian skier Hossein Saveh’s A sample. A laboratory had found anabolic steroids in it. Four doping cases were officially registered at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea – two of the athletes came from Russia, one from Slovenia and one from Japan. The ARD reported afterwardsthat not all controls at the games were carried out as safely and reliably as initially assumed.
What are the consequences for Russia and Valiyeva personally?
What the positive test means for Valiewa herself is not yet entirely clear. The only thing that is certain is that such young athletes, to put it very roughly, expect lighter sentences – similar to state youth criminal law. So locks can be shorter, for example. Also apply when disclosing violations according to the Wada Code other, less stringent rules, since young athletes are considered to be particularly vulnerable because, due to their age, they may not yet fully understand certain rules of the Code.
The consequences of the case for Russia itself are also still unknown. Because of previous doping scandals, Russia has already been punished by officially not being represented at the games. The Russian team participates in Beijing under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), flag and national anthem are banned as at the Tokyo 2021 Summer Games. However, Russian athletes are not generally banned. They may participate as “neutral athletes” under certain conditions. Russia was banned because of the massive doping scandal at the 2014 domestic Winter Games in Sochi, and then again because of manipulation of laboratory data. President Vladimir Putin had again sharply criticized the sanctions before the start of the Winter Games and denied a state-supported doping program.