Baliyeva 'Doping' Confirmed... Russia Says "No Problem... Sample Not Taken During Olympics"

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who is suspected of doping violations, is training on the 11th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in China. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Amid confirmation of doping violations by Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva (16) at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) argued that there is no reason to reconsider her participation since the doping sample was not collected during the Olympic period.

According to AP and AFP on the 11th, a sample collected from Valieva at the Russian Championships on December 25 last year tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. Trimetazidine is a medication for angina and can also be used as a stimulant to increase blood flow and enhance endurance, which led the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to designate it as a banned substance in 2014.

The International Testing Agency (ITA), an independent organization conducting doping tests on behalf of the IOC at the Beijing Olympics, confirmed Valieva's doping violation only on the 8th, the day after she won the Olympic figure skating team event.

In response, the IOC announced that the official medal ceremony for the figure skating team event, scheduled for the 8th, was postponed due to "legal issues."

However, according to TASS and Interfax news agencies, the ROC stated in a press release on the 11th (local time), "Since the doping sample of this athlete (Valieva) that tested positive was not collected during the Olympic period, the Olympic results of this athlete and the Russian team are not automatically subject to reconsideration."

The ROC also emphasized that the doping sample results for Valieva collected after the International Skating Union (ISU) European Championships held in Tallinn, Estonia, in January and during the Beijing Olympics were negative.

They added, "Unless the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decides otherwise, she has the right to fully participate in competition and practice without any restrictions."

The ROC stated, "We are taking all measures to protect the rights and interests of the Russian team and the medals won honestly" and added, "We expect a thorough investigation into Valieva's doping issue and that all legal and factual circumstances of the case will be clarified based on the results."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.