February 15, (THEWILL) – The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), not to reinstate Kamila Valieva’s provisional suspension signals “another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia”, according to USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland.
THEWILL recalls that appeals to reinstate Valieva’s provisional ban lifted by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA), Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee were denied by a three-person CAS panel on Monday.
The CAS Panel, chaired by Italy’s Fabio Iudica, concluded that her protected person status under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, was taken into account while making its judgement, with her being a minor at 15 years old.
The Panel, which included Jeffrey Benz of the United States and Vesna Bergant Rakoevi of Slovenia, cited “serious issues of untimely notification of the results of the athletes’ anti-doping test” and the risk of “irreparable harm”, if she could not compete as reasons for their decision.
Valieva will be free to compete in the Beijing 2022 women’s singles figure skating event, which is set to begin on Tuesday.
In her reaction to the decision, Hirshland’s statement read: “It is the collective responsibility of the entire Olympic community to protect the integrity of sport and to hold our athletes, coaches and all involved to the highest of standards.
“Athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field. Unfortunately, today, that right is being denied. This appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.
“We know this case is not yet closed, and we call on everyone in the Olympic Movement to continue to fight for clean sport on behalf of athletes around the world.”
In the women’s event, Valieva is the obvious favourite to win gold, with the free skate slated for Thursday, February 17. The 15-year-old holds the world record in the event and was instrumental in the ROC winning gold in the team event last week.
However, if an anti-doping infraction is discovered later and Valieva is sanctioned, the United States might be elevated to gold.
Following a fourth-place finish in the team competition, Canada might also secure a podium position, if that becomes the case. It was understandable therefore why after the verdict, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Skate Canada issued a statement, stating that they are “extremely disappointed”.
“The situation that has unfolded with respect to the Russian figure skating athlete’s doping case is extremely unfortunate and sad for the athletes,” said COC President and International Olympic Committee member Tricia Smith.
“The COC is fully committed to clean sport and we firmly believe that no one involved in doping or other corrupt practices has a place in the Olympic Movement.
“We appreciate that the IOC/ITA, WADA and the ISU each appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ad hoc division at the Beijing 2022 Games to request that the provisional suspension of the Russian athlete, which was lifted by RUSADA only a day after it was initially imposed, be reinstated.
“While the COC was not permitted to be formally involved in the CAS appeal process, we have been following the details of the case closely and doing what we can to ensure the protection of the interests of Canadian figure skating athletes and all clean athletes.
“While we trust that the CAS decision was the result of a fair process, we are extremely disappointed with this result.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
