"Beware of Drinking Tea"... British Journalists Reporting on Russian Valieva Doping Allegations "Received Death Threats"

Figure skating star Kamila Valieva (Russian Olympic Committee), who was found to have violated doping regulations, is training on the 11th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium in China.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] British journalists who reported on doping allegations against Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva have revealed that they have received death threats, sparking controversy.

On the 12th (local time), according to The Guardian, Duncan Mackay and Michael Pavitt of the online media Inside the Games have been subjected to death threats. On the 9th, they exclusively reported that Valieva showed issues in a doping test conducted before the opening of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, raising doping suspicions against the athlete.

Immediately after the report, there was an outpouring of angry reactions in Russia, claiming "they are lying."

In particular, Mackay revealed on his Twitter that he was told, "If a new substance is found in the tea you drink, you are already positive." This is interpreted as a reference to the 2006 Litvinenko case, where the Russian dissident died suddenly after drinking tea laced with the radioactive substance polonium at the Millennium Hotel in London.

Additionally, the journalists reportedly received threatening messages from Russian reporters saying, "We can tear you apart."

Regarding this, speed skating Olympic champion and current Russian parliament member Svetlana Zhurova stated, "Their accusations do not make sense," arguing, "Even if treated the same way, it is normal for their athletes but considered doping for our athletes."

Another parliament member, Dmitry Svishchev, also said, "We believe Valieva did not do anything banned."

Mark Adams, spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said, "I hope everyone calms down. I want everyone to respect the Olympic values of mutual respect," expressing that the controversy surrounding Valieva turning into threats and violence is unacceptable.

Earlier, the IOC announced on the 11th in a briefing that trimetazidine, a banned substance, was detected in Valieva's sample collected at the Russian Championships held in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on December 25 last year. Trimetazidine, a treatment for angina, was designated as a banned substance in 2014 because it can be used as a stimulant to deliberately increase blood flow and enhance endurance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on the 12th that it has received appeals from the IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding Valieva's doping violation issue. CAS is expected to hold an urgent hearing soon to decide whether to strip the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) of the figure skating team gold medal and whether Valieva will be allowed to compete in the singles event at this Olympics.

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