The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), two years after the Winter Olympics in Beijing, disqualified Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva due to a failed doping test shortly before the 2022 Games. Sport tells how the main figures of domestic sports reacted to the terrible decision in the case of a 17-year-old athlete.
The main thing about the CAS verdict
- Valieva was disqualified for four years, the period is counted from December 25, 2021 (it was on this day that the athlete passed a positive doping test on the day of the free program of the Russian Championship);
- Starting from the same date, all the figure skater’s results were canceled. Among her medals are gold at the Russian and European championships, as well as victories in the team tournament at the Olympics and triumphs at three stages of the national Grand Prix;
- In order to appeal to the Federal Swiss court, there are 30 days;
- The CAS Commission claims that Valieva’s side could not prove that the athlete did not take doping intentionally;
- The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Witold Banka, said that anyone who dopes children should be imprisoned prison;
- The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) noted that the sanctions imposed by CAS in the Valieva case exceed the measures proposed by RUSADA as part of the appeal;
- The fate of the team tournament medals at the 2022 Olympic Games will be decided by the International Skating Union (ISU);
- The ISU Council meeting, where a decision will be made on the result of the Olympic team tournament, will be held on February 7 (Channel One).
Matytsin's first wordsMinister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin called on the ISU to be independent and unbiased when making a decision on the result of the team figure skating tournament in Beijing. While the head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Travis Tygart, on the contrary, turned to the ISU with a request to redistribute the medals of the team tournament.
Let us note that after the victorious Russians (36 points) the Americans (34) and Japanese (29) were on the podium. In addition to Valieva, the team of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at that tournament included Mark Kondratyuk, Anastasia Mishina, Alexander Gallyamov, Victoria Sinitsina, Nikita Katsalapov.
“Anger towards our country is taken out on the girl” Immediately after the official statement According to Valieva, in conversations with correspondents, eminent experts began to speak out about what happened. Honored Coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova, in her usual manner, did not choose expressions, calling CAS pigs:
«»Scoundrels and lawless men. Of course, we need to appeal this decision. We must fight the scum with their own methods. In our country, Kamila will be able to perform. She is a strong girl and can do anything. Damn them, they are filthy pigs. They are taking out all the anger towards our country on a little girl.»
According to the General Director of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) Alexander Kogan, it was difficult to wait for an objective solution in this situation.
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“It was difficult to expect an objective solution in this situation. The federation is not a party to the process, we have received the information, it will be carefully analyzed. We believe that Russian figure skaters are Olympic champions in the team tournament,” Kogan emphasized.
Former head of the Moscow Center for Sports and Education “Sambo-70” Renat Laishev, in turn, noted: Valieva’s world authority is nobody will not be able to pick it up.
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“Kamila Valieva remains for all of us an Olympic champion and the best in the world!” I'm absolutely sure we'll see her on the ice again. She is smart and I would like to wish her to continue to please millions of fans around the world. She has gained global authority that no one can take away,” said Laishev.
And here’s how two-time world figure skating champion Evgenia Medvedeva supported her compatriot on her Telegram channel:
«»I was next to Camila in China when all this was happening. I was nearby at the end of the Games, and we were flying in adjacent seats on the plane to Moscow from China. I saw all the emotions from beginning to end. I remember how much she was worried and «at the same time she was indignant, not understanding what was happening. This is not how an athlete who purposefully doped behaves. He will be angry that everything has come to light, look for those to blame, but Kamila simply did not understand what was happening. But I have a lot of questions about this story.» .
“The gold medal will also be taken away from us” President of the All-Russian Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (VFKhG) Irina Viner said that she had long predicted such a turn of events:
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“I said that after rhythmic gymnastics there will be figure skating. And so it happened! Did you not expect this decision? I expected it.”
Sports commentator Dmitry Guberniev was not surprised by the CAS verdict:
“I am surprised by people who hope for some miracle and say that everything will be fine. Nothing good will happen. They will also take away the gold medal from us — this must be understood. Kamila needs perseverance and courage to do what she does. She is a talented girl. Our arguments turned out to be unnecessary, no one listened to them.»
But ex-Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov, on the contrary, admitted: he did not expect such an outcome.
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" I didn’t expect such a harsh verdict; we still hoped for a better outcome. I would like to know the arguments that our side presented in court, and what exactly our strategy was. I hope we hear it. The procedure for challenging the CAS is very complicated, I think it is practically excluded,” said Kolobkov.
“Most likely, Valieva will end her career.” Honored coach of Russia Alexander Zhulin suggested that such a decision by CAS could put an end to the figure skater’s career.
““A completely unfair decision, this is not the kind of doping that should be disqualified for four years. The biggest disappointment is that such a talented figure skater was deprived of the opportunity to show herself in the arena. Most likely, she will end her career.»
The President of the Russian Wrestling Federation (FSBR), Mikhail Mamiashvili, also voiced his opinion on the scandal. He said that common sense should be forgotten in this situation:
«»Now it is difficult to judge whether this is a political decision, but today we have no other conditions. But today all the masks have been dropped. There can be no talk of any kind of philanthropy or any objective observance of the rules. We need to live with this reality and as best we can get rid of illusions faster. It’s difficult now to be surprised by everything that’s happening. Because not only is common sense being trampled upon. We can’t even talk about any kind of human understanding and compassion.»
But Olympic champion in ice dancing Roman Kostomarov is confident , that a four-year disqualification will not break the Russian.
“»Camila is no longer little. She faced this story at the Olympics in Beijing, so it is difficult to break her. I don’t know why they gave such a long term. The decision was not made by us. As for medals, we really don’t have them and never had them, so they won’t take anything away. I’m sure that they simply won’t be given,” said Kostomarov.
The Kremlin’s positionPress Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov called the CAS decision politicized and added, that Moscow does not agree with him:
““Of course, we do not agree with this… From my point of view, of course, it is a politicized (decision). If there are any appeal mechanisms… then, of course, they should be involved. We must protect the interests of our athletes to the end.»
* * *Valieva herself, coach Eteri Tutberidze and members of her staff have not yet commented on the athlete’s four-year disqualification.
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