ROC releases official statement on Valieva’s doping test

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has published an official statement on the situation with the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. The text is available on the committee’s website.

“Due to the fact that the International Testing Agency, acting on behalf of the IOC, has officially published information regarding the athlete Kamila Valieva, the ROC considers it necessary to provide detailed explanations on the current situation,” the report says.

On February 8, the ROC received information from the International Testing Agency that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) had applied for a provisional suspension against Valieva. A notification was received from the Stockholm Anti-Doping Laboratory about an adverse result in Valieva’s doping test, which was taken on December 25, 2021 during the Russian Figure Skating Championships in St. Petersburg.

The sample contained the banned substance trimetazidine. The ROC clarified that the sample does not apply to the period of the Olympic Games. Before and after December 25, 2021, Valieva repeatedly passed doping tests, including in Beijing, during a figure skating tournament. All results were negative.

The suspension status means that Valieva has been ineligible to compete in Russian and international competitions since February 8. On February 9, hearings were held at the RUSADA Disciplinary Committee, which canceled the decision on the temporary suspension.

Now Valieva has the right to train and take part in competitions until the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decides otherwise regarding Valieva’s status at the Olympics.

“Since the athlete’s positive doping test was not taken during the Olympic Games, Valieva’s results and the results of the team tournament during the Olympics are not subject to automatic review,” the ROC explains.

The agency also drew attention to the fact that Valieva’s doping test, taken after the European Figure Skating Championships in January of this year (later than the Russian Championship), as well as the sample taken during the Olympic Games, gave a negative result.

“The ROC is taking comprehensive measures to protect the rights and interests of the members of the ROC Team and to preserve the honestly won Olympic medal. We proceed from the fact that a full-fledged investigation will be carried out, ”the statement says.

Earlier, the head of the ROC, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said that he remained puzzled by how much the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) processed Valieva’s doping test. Pozdnyakov considered that the figure skaters could deliberately delay the decision on the doping test until the end of the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.