Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva is allowed to compete at the ongoing Winter Olympics.
YOUTHFUL Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to continue her campaign in the Beijing Winter Olympics and will be competing in the women’s single skating competition as ruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Skating Union (ISU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed a decision by Russia's Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) to lift a provisional suspension imposed on Valieva when news of the test came to light.
CAS said in a statement it had decided Valieva, 15, should be allowed to compete due to "exceptional circumstances," including specific provisions linked to her status as a "protected person" under the World Anti-Doping Code, giving her a favorable decision in part because she is a minor.
The CAS also noted Valieva did not test positive during the Winter Olympics and in making the decision the panel considered "fundamental principles of fairness, proportionality, irreparable harm," the statement said.
"When a minor is involved, there is a requirement in the World Anti-Doping Code to investigate the entourage," WADA said in a statement. "RUSADA (Russian Anti-Doping Agency) already indicated it had started that. We will ask our independent Intelligence and Investigations Dept to look into it as well."
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Travis Tygart says Russia has shown his dismay over the ruling as he feels as though the situation has "hijacked the competition" and "stolen the moment from clean athletes" for the "sixth consecutive Olympic Games" after CAS rejected appeals to reinstate a provisional ban on Valieva.
The medal ceremony for the team event is still on hold where ROC was supposedly taking home the gold, silver for Team USA and bronze for Team Japan.
The CAS ruling only determined whether the figure skater can compete in Beijing, leaving the issue of the team event gold medal to be decided at a later date, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams told reporters earlier in the day Monday.
"(The medals) will not be sorted out by this decision. That will probably not be sorted out during this Games," Adams told reporters.
Tags: #WinterOlympics, #Russia, #drug