WADA slams CAS for allowing Russian figure skater Valieva to compete

The
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) criticised the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to compete at the 2022
Winter Olympics in Beijing despite testing positive for a banned substance on
Christmas Day, which came in the limelight last week.

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The
CAS revoked the plea against allowing Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee
(ROC) to compete at the Beijing 2022. The 15-year-old is now due to take part
in the women’s individual figure skating competition this week, where she is
one of the favourites to take gold. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
said if she wins, she will not be honoured with the medal.

However,
WADA, the international body that monitors the fight against drugs in sports,
has joined the critics of the CAS decision not to restore the provisional
suspension.

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“It
appears that the Cas panel decided not to apply the terms of the (anti-doping)
code, which does not allow for specific exceptions to be made in relation to
mandatory provisional suspensions for ‘protected persons’, including
minors,” it said in a statement.

“The
sample in this case was not flagged by Rusada (Russian Anti-Doping Agency) as
being a priority sample when it was received by the anti-doping laboratory in
Stockholm, Sweden. This meant the laboratory did not know to fast-track the
analysis of this sample.”

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Global Athlete claims Valieba
failed by anti-doping system

Global
Athlete, an organisation that represents Olympians, claimed that Valieva has
been failed by the anti-doping system over the positive test.

“Today
is another example of the failures of the global sport and anti-doping
system,” it said in a statement.

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“The
fact that Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old Russian figure skater, has been found
to have a performance-enhancing substance in her system is evidence of abuse of
a minor. Sport should be protecting its athletes, not damaging them.

“Doping
and the trauma of a positive test pose grave physical and psychological risks
to all athletes but especially to minors. It is unacceptable that these risks
have been placed on a 15-year-old.”

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Russia welcomes CSA’s decision

While
the CAS decision has widely been criticised, members of the Russian camp have
applauded the call to allow Valieva to continue.

On
December 5, 2017, after determining that Russia had been operating a
sophisticated doping operation, the IOC banned the country from participating
in the Olympics under the Russian flag. 

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“I’m
very happy for Valieva and glad that common sense and justice triumphed,”
said Russian Figure Skating Federation president Alexander Gorshkov

The
Russian Olympic Committee added, “We do not know how many tears and what
moral strength this whole crazy situation has cost Kamila. But what we know for
sure and what we can definitely do is cheer for her tomorrow, then on Thursday
with all the strength of our energy.”

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Valieva
has already helped the ROC to gold in the team event, although the IOC
confirmed that there will be no medal ceremony should the 15-year-old finish on
the podium in the individual event.