In a significant condemnation of Russia’s extensive doping system, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed a four-year ban to Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva on Monday. The decision also disqualified her 2022 Olympic results, concluding a prolonged international sports controversy that spanned nearly two years.
Following the CAS ruling, the International Skating Union (ISU), the global governing body for figure skating, will be tasked with determining the outcomes of the 2022 team figure skating competition based on the arbitration panel’s decision.
If Valieva’s results are invalidated, and/or the Russian team faces disqualification, the ISU is likely to adjust the medal standings, potentially moving the United States to the gold medal position, followed by Japan with silver, and Canada, originally in fourth place, securing the bronze medal.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, emphasized the importance of the ISU promptly implementing Valieva’s disqualification and redistributing the medals according to the CAS decision.
Tygart expressed relief for clean athletes and their long wait for justice, acknowledging the systemic failure that impacted another Russian athlete, a 15-year-old girl in this instance.
The CAS decision comes after 720 days since Valieva, at the age of 15, led Russia to the gold medal in the Olympic team event in Beijing on Feb. 7, 2022. However, the subsequent day saw the cancellation of the medal ceremony and the disruption of results after Valieva tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine six weeks earlier at the Russian championships.
