Russia clear Kamila Valieva over figure skating drugs scandal which rocked the Winter Olympics

Russian anti-doping authorities have dominated Kamila Valieva, the teenager skater at the centre of the drugs scandal that rocked final yr’s Winter Olympics, was not at fault for her constructive take a look at.

In a controversial ruling that might be appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and has raised eyebrows additional afield, a Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) tribunal discovered Valieva ‘bore no fault or negligence’.

Valieva confronted being stripped of the Olympic skating workforce gold she received for Russia as a 15-year-old in Beijing – a victory that was shortly adopted by the revelation she had examined constructive in December 2021 for the banned substance trimetazidine. 

Russian anti-doping authorities dominated Kamila Valieva was not at fault for her constructive drug take a look at

Valieva (far left) received workforce figure skating gold the day earlier than her constructive take a look at was revealed

In a surreal flip, Valieva’s authorized workforce went on to say in the subsequent storm that she might have by accident ingested coronary heart treatment belonging to her grandfather by sharing a glass of water.

RUSADA insisted all through the saga that they are going to conduct their investigation in non-public as the skater was a minor at the time of the constructive. 

However, WADA, who will attraction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, disclosed the upshot of that 10-month RUSADA course of in an announcement: ‘The tribunal found that although the athlete had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, she bore “no fault or negligence” for it. As such, the tribunal imposed no sanction except for the disqualification of her results on the date of the sample collection.

Valieva failed to win a medal in the individual event amid the controversy at the Games 

USADA chief Travis Tygart has accused RUSADA of a ‘self-serving’ decision in the Valieva case

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

‘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.’

US Anti-Doping chief Travis Tygart was scathing of the RUSADA verdict. He stated: ‘WADA and the ISU (International Skating Union) have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes. 

‘The world can’t presumably settle for this self-serving resolution by RUSADA, which in the latest previous has been a key instrument of Russia’s state sponsored doping fraud and is non-compliant. Justice calls for a full, honest, public listening to exterior of Russia.’

In the midst of the mass of consideration attributable to Valieva’s constructive, she was cleared by the International Olympic Committee to compete in the particular person competitors, for which she was the enormous favorite for gold. She finally didn’t win a medal after a number of falls.