Russian figure skater stripped of medal due to doping... "Political decision" backlash

Russia Reacts to Beijing Olympic Gold Medal Stripping
"Hatred Toward Russia Spreads to Athletes"

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
[Image source=EPA·Yonhap News]

Kamila Valieva (17), Russia's leading figure skating athlete, has been found guilty of using banned substances, resulting in the stripping of her gold medal from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics team event and a four-year suspension from competition. The Russian government has strongly opposed the decision, stating it is unacceptable.

On the 29th (local time), the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, issued a statement confirming that Valieva violated the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) anti-doping regulations and imposed a four-year suspension. However, the suspension period was set from December 2021, when the drug test was conducted, until December next year, making the actual suspension last until the end of next year.

The CAS panel stated, "It is a fact that Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance under anti-doping regulations," and added, "There is no room for leniency simply because she was 15 years old at the time of the substance use." Trimetazidine is a medication used to treat angina and can enhance physical efficiency in athletes, which led to its ban in 2014.

Furthermore, the panel ruled, "The gold medal won by Russia in the team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, after Valieva's drug test, is also revoked," and "Since Valieva contributed to the team's victory, the gold medal is invalidated. All competition results achieved by Valieva thereafter are also nullified."

Russia immediately protested. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said, "We do not agree with this decision. It is a political decision," emphasizing, "We must protect the interests of Russian athletes to the end. If there is an appeal process, we will certainly use it."

Tatiana Tarasova, the godmother of Russian figure skating, also stated, "There was no justice in this decision. It is regrettable that such an honest, excellent, and talented athlete like Valieva faces harsh and unfair circumstances at such a young age," adding, "Hatred towards our country has spread to her."

Meanwhile, Valieva rose to global stardom from her junior years by consistently performing quadruple jumps, which are difficult even for male skaters, and breaking world records. However, she became embroiled in controversy after testing positive for trimetazidine at the Russian National Figure Skating Championships in December 2021 but still participated in the Beijing Winter Olympics in February the following year. She won a gold medal in the team event but did not secure any medals in the individual events.

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