During the Winter Olympic Games in 2022 a then 15 year old Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva caused some major controversy when it was revealed that she had tested positive for doping. The gold medals Valieva won during the Olympics have been on hold until a decision could be made.
The World Anti-Doping Agency have finally made their ruling stating that Valieva had “no fault or negligence” in testing positive for a banned substance. As a result, the only punishment is a “disqualification of her results on the date of the sample collection.”
The results for the test given in December took until February to be revealed; after the Winter Olympic Games had already begun. The laboratory in charge of the testing cited the pandemic as the reason for the delay.
When the story broke Valieva was suspended from the competition until the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the then 15 year old was a “protected person” and not responsible for the actions.
WADA has said that they will make a further review before making any further rulings. WADA stepped in after a concern over the length of time the Russian Agency was taking over making a decision on the matter.
The verdict on the awarding of medals is still in limbo.
Over the past several years all Russian athletes have been banned from competing in the Olympics under their national flag due to major doping issues. Russian athletes competed under the Olympic flag.
The designation was further complicated when during the Games themselves, Russian forces under President Vladimir Putin with support from Belarus invaded Ukraine. As a result, several international sporting agencies banned Russian and Belarus athletes from international competition including ice skaters.
Now 16, Valieva has been skating in Russian events while she awaits a decision on the case.
Update:
The Russian Anti Doping Agency -RUSADA – has finally made a ruling on teen Russian ice skater Kamala Valieva, saying that while she did violate the doping rule, she was not at fault. Her only punishment is a disqualification of competition results on the day of the infraction.
WADA – the World Anti Doping Agency – opted that they were “concerned” by the ruling and reserve the right to file an appeal with Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency Travis Tygart was also not pleased with the ruling and urged an immediate appeal saying, “WADA and the ISU have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes.”