Olympic 'Doping Scandal' Valieva Receives Medal from Russian Government

Kamila Valieva Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Kamila Valieva, the female figure skater at the center of the doping scandal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, was awarded a medal by the Russian government, local Russian media reported on the 25th (local time).

The Russian figure skating team, competing under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the Beijing Olympics, led by Valieva, took first place in the team event.

However, a banned substance was detected in Valieva's doping sample collected in December last year, causing controversy.

Valieva also competed in the individual event following the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to officially recognize Olympic records and results until a conclusion on the doping controversy is reached.

If it is found that Valieva violated regulations during the doping investigation, the rankings of the figure skating team event and the women's singles figure skating event in which she participated could be changed, but the Russian government disregarded this and awarded her the government medal.

The Friendship Medal is the highest grade among the medals awarded by the Russian government to its medalists at the Beijing Olympics.

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