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Russian Skater Kamila Valieva Did Test Positive for Banned Heart Drug, Could Be Banned from Beijing Olympics


Young Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has indeed tested positive for a heart-blocking drug.

But — in news that spurred a wave of sympathy for the 15-year-old skating sensation — it emerged that her doping sample sat in a Swedish lab for six weeks and was finally analyzed only a day later. she led Russia to victory in the event team at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

That revelation prompted the IOC to mock claims it was tackling doping properly, and to question the decision to let Russian athletes compete in the Olympics despite state-sponsored doping. And it has led to a warning from the head of the US anti-doping agency that US prosecutors could target Russian individuals directly involved in the skater’s case if they are not held accountable. duty.

According to a Detailed report this morning from the International Testing Agency (ITA), Valieva was doping controlled outside of the competition on December 25.

Two weeks later, she won a gold medal on her European Championship debut in Estonia, earning herself a spot on the Russian Olympic team. The Christmas Day sample, which was sent to an internationally recognized laboratory in Stockholm, has yet to be tested.

On Monday, Valieva became the first woman to hit the quad jump in an Olympic competition as she led the Russians to a gold medal in the inaugural event in Beijing with a performance that made her a star. the sport’s brightest newcomer.

However, the next day, as the Russian was about to collect the gold medal, news finally reached Beijing that she had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, which is commonly used to treat angina. chest but can be used to improve blood flow and increase endurance.

According to the timeline given by the ITA, Talieva was temporarily suspended from competition by Russia’s anti-doping agency on the same day. The suspension was lifted by a Russian disciplinary panel following an appeal on Wednesday, allowing her to resume training in Beijing yesterday.

That decision is now being challenged by the International Olympic Committee, which is appealing at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, as she will be banned from participating in the individual figure skating competition on Sunday. next week.

The confirmation of the drug test’s failure is a blow to the IOC, which has been criticized for allowing Russian athletes to compete at last year’s Tokyo Summer Olympics and in Beijing, regardless of the circumstances. despite Russia being banned from international events for its systematic doping.

Under a messy compromise, the athletes competed under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee rather than Russia itself – although they still consider themselves a team and Russian President Vladimir Putin is proud to join the teams. guest of honor at the Beijing opening ceremony.

Complicating matters is that at 15, Valieva is considered a “protected person” under world anti-doping rules, meaning she cannot be personally responsible for substances found in her system. and not even publicly identified as a doping suspect.

If the sample is tested in time, Valieva, given her age, will likely face a simple reprimand – although anyone who gives her the substance will face a competition ban lifelong sport. She may even be allowed to continue competing and her failed drug test will likely remain a secret.

Because she faces the loss of both her team gold medal — which will go to America’s second-placed team — and her chance at personal glory.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said today that legal process must be allowed to follow its due process.

“For all concerned, not just Russian athletes, we need a solution and we are working as quickly as possible to get there,” he told a news conference in Beijing. .

“We take every action we deem important, always keeping in mind that the focus is on individuals, that we have no mass justice for groups of people. We remove individuals who are proven guilty.”

News that Valieva’s model hasn’t been tested for too long, even as she’s exploded to become the biggest star in her sport, will spark accusations in Russia itself that there are a conspiracy against the young Russian skaters who have dominated the sport for the past decade.

Among those who voiced support for Valieva after the confirmation of a failed drug test was figure skating legend Katarina Witt, who won Olympic gold medals for East Germany in 1984 and 1988.

Witt said in a Facebook post reported by Reuters: “What they knowingly did to her, if true, cannot be inhumanely surpassed and makes my athlete’s heart cry. infinite”.

“The latest news about the terrible Olympic figure skating, has really moved me. Kamila Valieva is a young girl and a prodigy, whose difficult and graceful performances captivated the world at just 15 years old, a minor, dependent on adults and herself. no blame here. “

Also of weight was Travis T. Tygart, executive director of the US Anti-Doping Agency, who warned that US prosecutors could use the Rodchenkov Act to target individuals in the Valieva case. The act, named after the head of the Russian laboratory who blew the whistle on doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, allows prosecutors to seek hefty fines and prison sentences for those people involved in doping, even against non-Americans if their actions affect American outcomes. athletes.

“It was a catastrophic failure of the system to allow the star of the Olympics not to report back her sample for five weeks, and then it was reported the day after they won the race. team event,” Tygart told Reuters.

“You can’t make it up. We live in the twilight zone. Clean athletes deserve better, and this poor young woman deserves better. She is being ruminated for being abused by the Russian state system. “



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