“Signs of a crime are obvious”: Pavel Chikov recalled that trimetazidine, found in Valieva’s sample, is also classified as a prohibited substance in Russia

Human rights activist Pavel Chikov, commenting on the “doping” scandal around Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, in whose sample trimetazidine was found, belonging to “class S4.4 of the WADA Prohibited List of 2021”, recalled that the Russian Criminal Code has Article 230.1 – “Declination of an athlete to the use of substances and (or) methods prohibited for use in sports.

She, according to him, is of minor gravity, but a group of persons by prior agreement can really get up to a year in prison.

Chikov drew attention to the fact that the decree of the Russian government classifies trimetazidine as a prohibited substance.

“That is, the signs of a crime are obvious,” Chikov wrote on his Twitter, accompanying the post with a screenshot of the relevant decree. – According to parts 1 and 2 of article 230.1 of the Criminal Code about doping, an inquiry is being carried out by the internal affairs bodies. That is, the initiation of a criminal case on the fact of a positive test for trimetazidine in Kamilla Valieva is within the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

Recall that earlier at the Olympics, the awards ceremony for Russian figure skaters was postponed. The media wrote that a heart drug was found in Valieva’s sample. Today, an official statement from the International Testing Agency (ITA) said that Valieva’s doping test of December 25 tested positive for the banned cardiac drug trimetazidine.

The athlete was conditionally suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). She later appealed the suspension. RUSADA decided to withdraw it.

The International Olympic Committee, however, has filed an appeal against this decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In the meantime, RUSADA initiated an investigation into the personnel of figure skater Kamila Valieva, since the athlete is a minor and is a “protected person”.