Deputy Batalova: for me and for the people Valieva remains an Olympic champion
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva remains an Olympic champion for many, despite the history of disqualification, says Rima Batalova, a member of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports. She answered the question about the athlete’s status in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
“I am a man of the earth, I am constantly with the people, I always have receptions and meetings, and I am on the sports committee. Everyone is rooting for her, worried, everyone says – for us she remains an Olympic champion, because a 15-year-old girl came out, performed and became a champion. This is my personal opinion and what I hear from the people, from athletes,” the deputy said.
She added that it was dishonest to report the skater’s positive test result right on the day of her performance. “What didn’t they know before? If they knew about this, why did they even allow her to the Olympic Games? It would have been more honest, otherwise they would have waited. Our “friends” constantly present such meanness and all sorts of nasty things to us,” Batalova shared.
On January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended Valieva for four years. The period of suspension starts on December 25, 2021. The athlete was deprived of gold for winning the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing as part of the Russian team. In addition, she was left without the title of champion of Russia and Europe.
The doping scandal surrounding Valieva unfolded at the 2022 Olympic Games. Traces of the banned drug trimetazidine were found in the skater’s sample from December 2021.
Source: Lenta
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