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Kamila Valieva: Russian agency finds 'no fault' for doping Olympic skater

Kamila Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee win gold in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI
1 of 5 | Kamila Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee win gold in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- A Russian anti-doping panel ruled Kamila Valieva "bore 'no fault'" when she tested positive for a banned substance and went on to win figure skating gold at the Winter Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency said Friday.

WADA said it was informed of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision, and that the tribunal found that "although the athlete had committed an anti-doping rule violation, she bore 'no fault or negligence' for it.

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As such, the tribunal imposed no sanction except for the disqualification of her results on the date of the sample collection."

WADA also requested a copy of the "full reasoned decision," which it will review with a case file to determine if the ruling "is in line with the terms of the world anti-doping code."

"However, based on the elements of the case with which WADA is already familiar, the agency is concerned by the finding of 'no fault or negligence' and will not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as appropriate," WADA said.

"The world can't possibly accept this self-serving decision by [the Russian anti-doping agency], which in the recent past has been a key instrument of Russia's state-sponsored doping fraud and is non-compliant,' Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement Friday afternoon.

Justice demands a full, fair, public hearing outside of Russia," Tygart said.

Valieva, 16, entered the 2022 Winter Games with high expectations as one of the best figure skaters in the world.

The International Testing Agency announced in early February that a sample taken from Valieva in December 2021, while she was at the Russian figure skating championships, tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication.

Valieva, then 15, continued to practice and was cleared to compete two months later in Winter Games by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the world's top legal body for sports.

The International Olympic Committee said it would follow that ruling, but said no medals would be distributed to any country if Valieva reached the podium in an event.

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Valieva started competition with a first-place finish in the women's single skating short program, helping the Russians win gold in the team event.

She later returned for singles competition, but failed to win a medal. She stumbled and fell to the ice four times during that unsteady performance.

The decision to allow Valieva to compete received harsh criticism fromfans, athletes and other countries throughout the Winter Games.

WADA announced in November that it had referred the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was seeking a four-year ban for Valieva. WADA also criticized an "unacceptable delay" in the Russian agency's investigation.

That agency's only sanction for Valieva was disqualifying her results on Dec. 25, 2021, the date her sample was collected.

The United States won silver in the 2022 Winter Games team figure skating competition. Japan won the bronze medal, while Canada finished fourth.

If Valieva is disqualified, the Russian Olympic Committee could forfeit that win and the other teams could rise one spot on the podium.

In June, the International Skating Union announced that it increased the minimum age requirement for competitors to 17 from 15.

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