figure skating
After Valiyeva is banned: US team wins Olympic gold
Almost two years after the Olympic scandal involving Kamila Waliyeva, the Russian figure skater was subsequently banned for four years by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. photo
© Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/dpa
The doping case of Kamila Waliyeva has so far only been known to losers in figure skating – but now the Americans are rejoicing. However, Russia does not want to give in so easily on the matter.
Due to the ban of the Russian figure skater Kamila Valiyeva was subsequently awarded the Olympic victory in the team competition in Beijing for the US selection.
The International Olympic Committee informed the US National Olympic Committee of this, reported the AP news agency and the newspaper “USA Today,” among others.
The US Figure Skating Association posted a picture of the team with a gold medal on the X platform (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “We are extremely proud of our 2022 Olympic champions.” The comment was accompanied by the hashtag “#MoreThanMedals” (more than just medals).
On Monday, almost two years after the Olympic scandal, the Cas International Court of Arbitration for Sport subsequently banned Russian figure skater Valiyeva for four years. This means that Russia’s team also loses the team gold that the then 15-year-old won at the Winter Games in Beijing. Valiyeva’s ban begins retroactively from December 25, 2021.
Russia announces legal action
The Kremlin had criticized the Cas ruling as politically motivated and announced a legal fight. “Of course we don’t agree with it,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in St. Petersburg. If there are legal remedies against the verdict, then Russia should use them, he said, according to the Tass agency. “We must defend the interests of our athletes to the last.”
The case of Valiyeva, now 17, has been keeping sports lawyers busy since the 2022 Winter Olympics. After the team competition, the figure skater’s positive doping test became known. Valiyeva tested positive for the banned drug trimetazidine at the national championships in December 2021.
Because Valiyeva was only 15 years old at the time, she was considered a “protected person” under the World Anti-Doping Code whose identity should not have been revealed. The secrecy failed. Walijewa’s legally enforced start in the Olympic women’s singles ended as a scandal with a tearful routine, the favorite only ended up in fourth place.