Valieva will be able to participate in the Olympic women's event starting on Tuesday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport approved the removal of a temporary ban.
Kamila Valieva of Russia will be able to participate in the Olympic women's figure skating competition starting on Tuesday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) accepted the removal of a temporary ban imposed in connection with a failed drug test in 2012.
After appeals from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the International Skating Union (ISU) were dismissed, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued an urgent decision allowing the 15-year-old to compete in the singles event at the Beijing Games, which begin on Tuesday.
In a statement released on Monday, CAS Director-General Matthieu Reeb said that "the CAS panel in charge of this subject has decided to allow Miss Valieva to continue her participation in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022." This signifies that the skater should not be subjected to a temporary ban at this time.
Valieva's "extraordinary circumstances" were critical in reaching the verdict, according to the three-member CAS panel, who heard what they conceded were "quite limited evidence in this instance" before reaching their conclusion.
Specifically, her "protected person" status as a minor under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC) and the lack of clear rules for suspending a minor were cited as two of the four reasons for her suspension, despite the fact that the WADC contains specific provisions for different standards of evidence and lower sanctions in the case of protected persons.
Aside from that, the panel "considered fundamental principles of fairness and proportionality, irreparable harm, and the relative balance of interests" between Valieva and the appealing parties, as well as "serious issues of untimely notification of the results," which hampered Valieva's "ability to establish certain legal requirements for her benefit while such late notification was not her fault." Valieva was awarded a total of $500,000 in damages.
"The Global Sport and Anti-Doping System Needs Immediate Reform"
— Global Athlete (@GlobalAthleteHQ) February 14, 2022
📢 Global Athlete statement on the Kamila Valieva ruling. 📢 pic.twitter.com/R07gcjEkWm
An anti-doping committee of the Russian anti-doping authority RUSADA reduced a ban imposed on Valieva last week after she tested positive for the forbidden cardiac medication trimetazidine in a sample obtained on December 25. Valieva had been suspended since the test result.
It was only after Valieva had led the Russian Olympic Committee to gold in the team event on Monday that the test result was received.
It was decided to postpone the medal ceremony until the International Testing Agency has reviewed the whole case, which might be after the Games conclude on February 20. A final decision will be made when the International Testing Agency has reviewed the entire issue.
Reaction
The news was received positively by the Russian Olympic Committee.
It was the "greatest news of the day" for the committee, which announced it on Telegram, saying that "the whole nation will support her and all of our amazing female skaters in the individuals competition" the next day.
She made history by being the first female skater to land a quadruple leap at the Olympics, helping Russia to a team win against the United States, Japan, and Canada, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The decision was met with dissatisfaction by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
"We are dissatisfied with the message that this decision conveys. According to Sarah Hirshland, president and chief executive officer of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees, "It is the collective responsibility of the entire Olympic community to protect the integrity of sport and to hold our athletes, coaches, and everyone else involved to the highest of standards."
It is the right of every athlete to know that they are competing on an equal playing field. This is being refused, unfortunately, at the present time. This looks to be another another chapter in Russia's systematic and chronic contempt for the rules of fair play in athletics."
"She is completely innocent," Valieva's coach Eteri Tutberidze told Russian media, claiming that her athlete is "clean and pure."
Because of sanctions imposed in connection with previous doping violations in the country, Russia will not be participating as a nation at the Beijing Games, nor will its national flag and anthem be played.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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