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A day after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled a provisional suspension for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva in connection with a positive drug test, she defended herself citing a 'mix-up with her grandfather's medication' as the reason.
Denis Oswald, the International Olympic Committee's permanent chair of the disciplinary commission, said that Kamila Valieva claimed there was a mix-up during the CAS hearing on Tuesday. Oswald said:
"Her argument was this contamination happened with a product her grandfather was taking."
The 15-year-old tested positive for trimetazidine, a metabolic agent that is prescribed for the treatment of angina and vertigo, on December 25, 2021.
The CAS used several reasons to justify the decision, apparently terming Valieva a 'protected person'. This means she is considered too young (15-year-old) to completely understand the repercussions that she has to face for consuming the banned substance.
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later announced that even if Kamila Valieva attains a podium finish in the women's singles skating competition, there will be no medal ceremony during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Kamila Valieva will not win a medal at 2022 Winter Olympics
Following CAS's decision, Valieva is now eligible to compete for a second gold medal at the Winter Olympics despite failing a drug test. She is one of the youngest athletes ever to test positive for doping at the Olympics.
However, Valieva, who will continue to participate in the remainder of the 2022 Winter Olympics, will not get a medal even if she secures a podium finish.
Oswald, the International Olympic Committee's permanent chair of the disciplinary commission, added that Valieva's "B" sample results are yet to be analyzed, despite the initial results. He further added that medals should be allocated to the right person. Speaking about the medal ceremony, the IOC said in a statement:
“In the interest of fairness to all athletes and the (nations) concerned, it would not be appropriate to hold the medal ceremony for the figure skating team event during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. It would include an athlete who on the one hand has a positive A-sample, but whose violation of the anti-doping rules has not yet been established on the other hand.”
