LAUSANNE, Switzerland — In a shocking turn of events, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been disqualified from the 2022 Olympics due to a doping case that created havoc during the Beijing Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling implies that the Russians will be stripped of the gold medal in figure skating’s team event, with the United States expected to claim the Olympic champion title instead.
The Fallout
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) opted not to award any medals for the event in Beijing, where the 15-year-old Valieva was the standout performer until her positive test for a banned heart medicine was exposed. CAS, following appeals led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), decided to disqualify Valieva from the Olympics and impose a four-year ban on her, running until December 2025, just seven weeks before the next Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Recalibrating Medal Standings
With Valieva’s disqualification, the US team, which secured the silver in Beijing, will now be upgraded to the gold medal position. Japan, who previously took home bronze, moves up to silver, while Canada takes the fourth-place position. The IOC will be responsible for the reallocation of the medals, and its executive board is scheduled to convene in March to discuss the matter further.
The Verdict
Valieva’s legal team argued that she had been unknowingly contaminated by traces of the trimetazidine medication that her grandfather had used. However, CAS ruled that Valieva failed to establish, based on the evidence before them, that the doping violation was unintentional. Furthermore, the judges determined that, according to Russian anti-doping rules, she could not benefit from being a minor at the time of the positive test.
The court stated that there was “no basis under the rules to treat them any differently from an adult athlete” but did not disclose the detailed verdict pending a review of confidentiality issues.
Legal Chaos at the Olympics
The doping scandal surrounding Valieva caused legal chaos at the Olympics. Her sample, taken six weeks prior at the Russian national championships, was not reported by a laboratory in Sweden until hours after she competed in the team event on February 7, 2022. Despite rulings by a Russian tribunal and a separate CAS panel that absolved her of responsibility as a minor, Valieva continued to participate in the Olympics.
Unfortunately, the intense scrutiny and pressure on Valieva had a detrimental effect on her performance in the individual event, where she was favored for the gold but ultimately dropped to fourth place.
Fallout and Controversy
The controversy didn’t end on the ice. The reaction of Valieva’s coach, Eteri Tutberidze, came under intense criticism from skating experts and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. Bach expressed his disconcertment at the “tremendous coldness” displayed by Valieva’s entourage.
CAS’s Decision
The case was brought before CAS to challenge a verdict by a Russian anti-doping tribunal in late 2022, which declared Valieva not at fault. WADA requested CAS to impose a four-year ban on Valieva and disqualify her from the Olympics, while the International Skating Union requested a two-year ban and disqualification.
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