Russian figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva has not been sanctioned by the Russian anti-doping agency, which found she bore “no fault or negligence” for a positive drugs test before the Beijing Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said yesterday.
Montreal-based WADA said it was “concerned” by this conclusion of the Russian disciplinary tribunal and specified that it would not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Russian tribunal found that, although the athlete had committed an anti-doping rule violation, she had committed “no fault or negligence”, stated WADA, who have requested a copy of the full decision.
The only sanction imposed by the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada) was the cancellation of Valieva’s results on the date the sample was taken December 25, 2021.
WADA had sought a four-year period of ineligibility for the athlete.
At the Winter Games last February, Valieva, then 15, became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, helping the Russian team secure gold in the team event.
It later emerged the 2022 European champion had tested positive before the Games for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but which is banned for athletes because it can boost endurance.