Former Russian figure skater, Olympic participant Maria Sotskova was involved in a doping scandal.
She was suspended for ten years on charges of forging a medical document.
According to RT sources, the athlete did not deliberately break the rules, since before the events that led to such a severe punishment, she had already completed her career.
The first to report the problems of the skater to RBC.
His sources said that Sotskova missed three out-of-competition doping tests in 2019.
Typically, such an anti-doping rule violation is punishable by a two-year suspension.
However, the skater allegedly tried to justify one of the passes with the help of an invalid certificate, in connection with which she was threatened with suspension for ten years.
Soon, TASS presented a more detailed version of events.
The agency's source said that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) had already disqualified Sotskova for the maximum possible period in her case, and a prohibited substance was found in her body.
“The Disciplinary Committee of RUSADA disqualified Sotskova for ten years for forging a medical certificate, which she tried to explain violations of the rules of accessibility for testing.
The situation is almost identical to that of the athlete Danil Lysenko.
I think an official decision should soon appear on the RUSADA website.
According to the information I have, a prohibited substance was also found in one of the athlete's doping samples, ”the source said.
According to RT sources, there are circumstances in the Sotskova case that do not allow the athlete to be unambiguously reproached for gross violation of the anti-doping code.
The actions that formed the basis of the accusation, she performed after the actual retirement from the sport.
Sotskova officially announced her retirement in July this year.
However, she made the decision about this last November after a series of unsuccessful performances at the competitions.
A native of Reutova near Moscow, she told her coach Svetlana Sokolovskaya and the Russian Figure Skating Federation about this.
At that time, she had already stopped receiving any financial assistance due to the lack of results.
At the same time, Sotskova also had to notify RUSADA of her decision in writing, but she postponed this issue until the end of the season, when her official departure was to take place.
In RUSADA, Sotskova continued to be listed as an active athlete, and in March of this year, doping officers visited her to take an out-of-competition sample.
The girl at first refused to take the test and claimed that she had already finished her career.
However, for those who checked it was not a reason to cancel the visit.
In the end, Sotskova was forced to do an analysis.
Subsequently, Sotskova's doping test tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic included in the list of prohibited substances.
RUSADA opened an anti-doping rule violation case, and the former athlete provided a certificate stating that she was taking the drug for medical purposes.
However, further proceedings showed that the clinic did not have the appropriate license to issue such a certificate, and RUSADA declared the document invalid.
As a result, Sotskova was accused of forging documents, although, in fact, her only violation was the untimely notification of her retirement.
The skater herself is currently refraining from communicating with journalists.
Since the information about her disqualification was leaked to the media, she only posted a post on her Instagram, in which she thanked everyone for their support.
In addition to the fact that Sotskova will not be able to perform in competitions, for ten years she will also be banned from coaching and holding official positions in figure skating.
According to RT sources, the girl in any case does not plan to connect her future life with sports.
This summer, Sotskova married composer Mikhail Omelchuk, with whom she founded a production company, and is going to devote her further career to her.
How the skater Sotskova was remembered primarily for her performance in the Grand Prix finals in 2017, when she won silver after Alina Zagitova.
After some time, she was able to qualify for the Olympics in Pyeongchang and took eighth place there.
The same result was obeyed by her at two world championships - in 2017 and 2018.
At the European Championships of the same years, Sotskova twice found herself one step away from the podium.
In the 2018/19 season, the athlete's results sharply declined, after which she was no longer able to return to her former level.
The last start of Sokolovskaya's student was the Grand Prix stage in France in November 2019, where she took 11th place.