Lawyer Antseliovich said that WADA did not violate the rules when notifying Valieva
Sports lawyer Anna Antseliovich commented on the information that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) untimely notified Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva about a positive doping test. The expert’s words are quoted by TASS.
According to RIA Novosti, the notification came first to the International Skating Union (ISU) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and only after that to the athlete’s coach Eteri Tutberidze. According to Antseliovich, this is not a procedural violation and cannot affect the course of the case.
Antseliovich explained that WADA, ISU, IOC and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) receive information about test results through the ADAMS system as soon as the laboratory finishes processing them.
The laboratory does not notify the athlete about the results. The information to Valieva should have been passed on to the organization responsible for collecting the sample.
CAS postponed hearings in Valieva’s case to November 9 and 10
On September 28, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced that new hearings into Valieva’s doping case would be held on November 9 and 10. This was reported on the organization’s website.
The court said it was preparing new documentation for the hearings, which should be studied by all interested parties. It is known that WADA considered the conclusion of the RUSADA disciplinary committee about the skater’s innocence to be incorrect. WADA considered that the athlete should be suspended for four years, and her results canceled starting from the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The next hearing in Valieva’s case was held at CAS from September 26 to 29. In addition to WADA and RUSADA, two more parties spoke at the meeting: the skater herself and the ISU.
In the United States, the postponement of meetings was considered manipulation by Russia
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tigert, said that the postponement of the hearings is similar to manipulation by Russia.
The functionary stressed that the investigation system must change to prevent such delays. However, he added that USADA stands for full and due process.
US Figure Skating Federation CEO Tracy Marek said the organization was upset by the decision to postpone the hearing.
While we recognize the inherent difficulties and time constraints of litigation, waiting nearly 600 days without a resolution is undoubtedly painful for our athletes
Marek also emphasized the importance of transparency in the handling of this case.
The RUSADA Disciplinary Committee found Valieva not guilty of violating anti-doping rules
On January 13, the RUSADA disciplinary committee, which is a body independent from the main organization, informed WADA that the Russian woman was not guilty. At the same time, the skater was deprived of gold at the 2022 Russian Championship. The athlete passed a positive doping test on the day of the free program – December 25, 2021.
RUSADA later appealed the decision of the disciplinary committee to CAS, since the athlete’s side could not prove her complete non-involvement. The agency’s general director, Veronika Loginova, noted that Valieva’s guilt is minimal and a reasonable sanction would be a warning.
At the same time, WADA and ISU filed an appeal with CAS against the decision to acquit the skater. The head of USADA opposed RUSADA’s participation in the consideration of Valieva’s case.
The drug could have entered the figure skater’s body due to her grandfather’s medication
On February 17, 2022, it became known about the assumption of Valieva’s side that the use of the drug occurred through the dishes that she and her grandfather used (including through liquid drunk from the same glass).
The most likely route for the athlete to enter the body of a prohibited substance is through everyday interactions with her grandfather, who is taking trimetazidine after heart surgery and usually carries this medication with him.
At the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, Valieva won gold in the team competition, but the Russian team was not awarded due to a doping scandal involving her. Traces of the banned drug trimetazidine were found in the skater’s sample from December 2021. At the same time, CAS allowed her to participate in the individual tournament, where she took fourth place.
Source: Lenta
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