In Russia, they declared the inadmissibility of the politicization of sports against the backdrop of the scandal with Valieva

The head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky, said that the politicization of sports is unacceptable against the backdrop of a doping scandal with Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva at the Beijing Olympics. His words are available on the Slutsky Telegram channel.

According to Slutsky, this story raises a lot of questions, given the unhealthy interest in Russian Olympians in the West. He stated that only anti-doping agencies, sports federations and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) should deal with the Valieva case. “Everything else is an attempt to climb into someone else’s monastery with your charter,” the deputy emphasized.

Slutsky also spoke about the statement of the head of the American Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Travis Tygart to hold the Russians accountable in accordance with the American “Rodchenkov Act”. According to it, all those involved in the use of a prohibited drug by Valieva will be punished.

“If I may say so, this act is yet another clear example of the application of extraterritorial law by the United States. Washington is acting in a similar way, threatening other countries with sanctions for business contacts with Russia in one area or another,” the deputy wrote. He noted that such laws are a classic tool of manipulation and pressure.

Earlier on February 11, the International Testing Agency (ITA) officially confirmed that Valieva’s December 25 doping test tested positive for the banned trimetazidine. After that, the International Olympic Committee filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to lift the temporary suspension from the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing Valieva. Her case must be considered before the start of the individual tournament at the Games.