Russians will be deprived of Olympic gold: court puts an end to the doping scandal with figure skater Valiyeva

Russian figure skater Kamila Valiyeva has been found guilty of violating anti-doping rules ahead of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. The athlete has been banned for four years, with the sanctions starting on December 25, 2021.

The decision was published on the website of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS). The organization found that Valiyeva committed the offense at the end of 2021 during the All-Russian competition. All results of competitions with the participation of the skater after 12/25/2021 have been canceled, which means that the Russian national team will be deprived of the Games gold medal in the team tournament.

"Ms. Valiyeva failed to prove that she committed the anti-doping rules violation unintentionally," the court said in its decision. It is emphasized that the final decision on depriving the Russian national team of the 2024 Olympic championship will be made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

As a reminder, Valiyeva's analysis at the 2022 Olympics revealed the banned substance trimetazidine, which postponed the awarding of the winners of the Games' team competitions. Later, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) demanded that the Russian be suspended from the Olympic tournament. However, CAS allowed the girl to continue competing.

After that, the IOC decided not to hold an award ceremony for figure skaters if Valiyeva wins an Olympic medal in any event. Her results in Beijing were also recognized as unofficial. WADA sharply criticized Russia over the doping scandal. The figure skater herself, commenting on the scandal, could not hold back tears during an interview.