'Doping Scandal' Valieva Receives 'Friendship Medal' from Russian Government

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skater Kamila Valieva is seen shedding tears in the kiss and cry zone after completing her free skate performance in the women's singles figure skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, on the afternoon of the 17th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-mi Hwang] Kamila Valieva, a figure skater for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) who was involved in a doping scandal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has been awarded a Russian government medal.

On the 25th (local time), the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the ROC figure skating team received the "Order of Friendship." The Order of Friendship is the highest grade of medal awarded by the Russian government to its medalists at the Beijing Olympics.

Valieva was also included. Valieva competed in the women's singles figure skating event in the figure skating team event at the Beijing Olympics, showcasing overwhelming skill and leading ROC to the gold medal.

However, Valieva was embroiled in doping allegations after the team event victory. This was because trimetazidine, a banned substance, was detected in a doping sample she submitted during the Russian Championships held in Russia last December.

Valieva denied the allegations and, following the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), eventually competed in the individual event but made repeated mistakes and finished in 4th place.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to officially recognize Valieva’s Olympic records and results until the doping controversy surrounding her is resolved.

If a violation of regulations is confirmed in the doping investigation, the rankings of the figure skating team event and the women’s singles figure skating event in which Valieva participated at this Olympics could be changed. However, the Russian government disregarded this and awarded the government medal.

Meanwhile, according to AFP on the 18th (local time), the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is expected to soon begin an in-depth investigation related to Valieva’s violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) doping regulations.

If WADA and the International Skating Union (ISU) do not trust the results of RUSADA’s investigation, they may file a complaint with CAS. If a fair ruling is not reached there, the case will proceed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

Experts predict that this investigation will take several years. Dave Parrott, an anti-doping expert and law professor at the University of Sherbrooke in Canada, told AFP in an interview, "If this case goes all the way to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, it will take years to complete the investigation and ruling."

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