For many Winter Olympians, Beijing 2022 is in the rearview and Milan-Cortina 2026 is the focus. Following a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Kamila Valieva’s doping case, perhaps the skating community can too move on from Beijing 2022.
At the Beijing 2022 Olympics, Valieva was found to have previously tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication that can increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance.[1] Trimetazidine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited-substance list.[2] More about the early stages of Valieva’s case can be found here.
In December of 2022, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) found Valieva had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation for which she bore “no fault or negligence.”[3] Valieva’s results from the 2021 Russian national championships (where the positive sample was provided) were disqualified, but she was not otherwise sanctioned. WADA and the International Skating Union (ISU) appealed RUSADA’s decision to CAS. In September of 2023, CAS heard Valieva’s case in Lausanne, Switzerland.[4]
On January 29, 2024, two years since Beijing, CAS ruled on Valieva’s case. CAS upheld WADA’s four-year suspension.[5] The four-year ban will run from December 25, 2021, when the positive sample was provided, to the end of 2025.[6] Valieva is also required to give up any medals, awards, prizes, or profit she received since the positive test.[7]
Valieva was disqualified from all events at which she competed in Beijing, moving the Russian team to third, earning bronze.[8] This shifted the U.S. to first and Japan to second.[9] Fourth placed Canada, the Russian team, and the Russian Olympic Committee, and Russia’s skating federation have all filed separate appeals of this decision.[10]
WADA is seeking to update the anti-doping rules before the 2026 Games. WADA took issue with the fact that Valieva, who was 15 at the time of her positive sample, was punished with a ban while her coaches and entourage faced no consequences.[11] WADA wants to give greater power to investigate athlete entourages, including physios and medical staff.[12] WADA is set to host the next global review of the anti-doping code in Busan, South Korea in late 2025.
As is evident in WADA’s desire for rule changes, Valieva’s case may be an impetus to mitigate future doping cases, especially as it relates to athletes who are minors. The outcome of Valieva’s case reflects a trend in the sport world of regulators cracking down with anti-doping measures (e.g., RADA in the U.S.). One by one, recent anti-doping measures may be eroding the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs. Perhaps this decision can help restore some faith in the international anti-doping system and result in cleaner and fairer sport.
Despite any pending appeals, CAS’s decision brings some closure to those impacted by Valieva’s case. The U.S. team is hoping to have a podium ceremony for its skaters at this summer’s Paris Games, giving them the moment they deserve.
Image credit: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
[1] https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-what-is-trimetazidine-93aa213631626ad47065b1f358b4d1ff; https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/37898870/russian-skater-kamila-valieva-doping-case-begin-sept-26.
[2] https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-what-is-trimetazidine-93aa213631626ad47065b1f358b4d1ff.
[3] https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_9451_9455_9456_Pre-Hearing_Release.pdf.
[4] https://apnews.com/article/valieva-russian-skater-beijing-olympics-cas-c7a1974a2dedd9755a96ded736115ad1; https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_9451_9455_9456_Pre-Hearing_Release.pdf.
[5] https://time.com/6590109/kamila-valieva-us-gold-medals-reactions/; https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/03/22/figure-skating-medals-beijing-olympics/.
[6] https://time.com/6590109/kamila-valieva-us-gold-medals-reactions/; https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_Media_Release_9451_9455_9456_Decision.pdf.
[7] https://time.com/6590109/kamila-valieva-us-gold-medals-reactions/.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/03/22/figure-skating-medals-beijing-olympics/.
[11] https://apnews.com/article/wada-doping-russia-skating-valieva-b4a28057dec3e4d8896c1d6937cd0292.
[12] Id.
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