Kamila Valieva, a fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater, risked being disqualified from the Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart drug in December, according to the International Testing Agency.
Valieva was a key player in Russia’s team event victory in Beijing on Monday; her team successfully contested a provisional suspension, and she was back in practice on Friday when the ITA confirmed her positive test. An urgent hearing has been scheduled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Valieva’s positive test came one day after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event in Beijing. Her team won a provisional ban appeal, and she was back in the gym on Friday when the ITA put a stop to days of doubt.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have filed separate challenges to the lifting of Valieva’s temporary suspension, with the goal of determining whether she will be able to compete in the Games. She is the clear favorite to win the women’s solo event, which begins on Tuesday.
However, the ITA effectively argued that it was obliged to publish its clarification as a result of the media’s inability to follow that same principle, following days of speculation that began with the delay in the release of the report.
Valieva’s situation has been compounded by a WADA judgment that deems those under the age of 16 to be ‘protected persons,’ implying that the customary rule of strict liability does not always apply and that the athlete in question must stay unidentified.
