“It’s almost impossible for Camila to come back.” After disqualification, figure skater Valieva was expelled from the Russian team

The Russian Ministry of Sports has excluded figure skater Kamila Valieva from the national team. The decision regarding the 17-year-old athlete was made according to the rules of the ministry.

The reason was Valieva’s disqualification for violating anti-doping rules. The Ministry of Sports followed an order according to which, if athletes are sanctioned or suspended, their names are removed from the national team lists. At the same time, the day before, Valieva was present as part of the team.

Valieva’s return to sports was called unlikely

International master of sports and figure skating coach Katarina Gerboldt in an interview with Gazeta.Ru said that she does not believe in Valieva’s return. In her opinion, without training it is almost impossible to keep yourself in good physical shape.

Olympic champion in speed skating, State Duma deputy of the Russian Federation Svetlana Zhurova said that from a legal point of view, Valieva was obliged to leave the Russian team. She drew attention to the fact that every athlete who becomes a member of the Russian national team signs documents stating that if he violates anti-doping rules, he will be expelled.

At the same time, Honored Coach of Russia Alexander Zhulin refused to consider that Valieva’s career is over. The coach wished the skater a speedy return and great patience. He called her an outstanding athlete. The expert’s opinion was supported by Honored Coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova.

However, Olympic champion Maxim Marinin did not agree with his colleagues, believing that Valieva would not be able to return to the national team. He explained his position by saying that there is very high competition in Russia, and advised the athlete to think about changing her profession.

Valieva spoke about plans for the future

The athlete said that she would like to try herself in cinema. She will release a song with the popular Russian singer Mia Boyka. In addition, Valieva became a member of the jury of the KVN Major League and attended the opening ceremony of the Games of the Future, where she sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The athlete also said that she would take part in an ice show in China and play the main role there. “All the action will take place around me,” she emphasized. At the same time, lawyer Anna Antseliovich warned her against performing, noting that it would be safe for a Russian woman to participate only in completely commercial shows.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport disqualified Valieva for four years.

On January 29, Valieva was disqualified for four years, noting that the period of suspension starts from December 25, 2021. The athlete was deprived of gold for winning the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games as part of the Russian team, as well as the Russian and European champion titles.

After the court decision, Valieva was forced to interrupt training with the honored figure skating coach of Russia Eteri Tutberidze, since now she cannot train for state money.

Tutberidze, in turn, reproached CAS for not establishing exactly how the prohibited substance entered the figure skater’s body.

A month later, an appeal against the CAS verdict was registered in the Swiss Federal Court. If the court sides with the skater, the case will return to CAS for review.