Valieva, only 15 years old and undefeated until then for her first winter in seniors, tested positive for trimetazidine during a test carried out on December 25 during the Russian Championships by the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada), announced Friday in a press release the ITA, the body responsible for doping controls during the Olympics.

Trimetazidine, used to relieve angina pectoris, has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2014.

Notified of the positive test on Tuesday - the day after the victory of the Russian team under neutral flag in the team competition in Beijing in which it participated - the Russian anti-doping agency then "provisionally suspended with immediate effect" Valieva , explains the ITA in a long press release which details the course of events.

This provisional suspension then deprived the young skater of participating in any competition, JO-2022 included.

But "the athlete appealed to the Rusada on February 9 and a hearing took place the same day", continues the ITA.

"On the evening of February 9, Rusada decided to lift the provisional suspension of the athlete, allowing him to continue to participate in the Olympics."

Call from the IOC

"The reasoned decision will be communicated shortly to all parties," said the body.

Nevertheless, "because a decision is necessary before" the start of the individual competition, scheduled for Tuesday February 15 and Thursday February 17, "the IOC will exercise its right to appeal without waiting for Rusada's reasoned decision", announces the ITA.

Valieva's age -- under 16 -- makes her a "protected person," which entails special provisions, confidentiality around her screening and potentially lower penalties, according to WADA regulations.

At only fifteen years old, Valieva is the latest successful incarnation of Eteri Tutberidze's Moscow champion factory, and of the "quad" generation that has established itself on the international scene.

Kamila Valieva participates in the short program of the Olympics-2022 team figure skating event on February 6, 2022 in Beijing Sebastien Bozon AFP / Archives

For her first winter in seniors, the Russian teenager is so far undefeated: she won her two Grand Prix, the Russian Championships, was crowned European champion in mid-January, and shared the Olympic gold of the team competition with the Russians under neutral flag on Monday.

She took the opportunity to sign the very first women's quadruple jumps in Olympic history.

The 2020 junior world champion has also set three world points records since the start of the season: short programs, free and total score.

She became the first skater to break the 90-point mark in a short program.

Tutberidze School

During the team event on Chinese ice, she dominated both the short program, coming very close to her recent world record, and the free program, with nearly thirty points ahead of the second, the Japanese Kaori Sakamoto.

Beyond her personal case, Valieva's positive control is causing trouble for the Tutberidze school, of which she is only one of the many winning faces of recent years.

The Russian figure skating team at the Beijing Olympics, February 7, 2022 SEBASTIEN BOZON AFP / Archives

The other two Russian skaters entered in the Beijing Games, Anna Shcherbakova, reigning world champion, and Alexandra Trusova, European and world bronze medalist, are also students.

All three monopolized the European podium less than a month ago and seem promised to the Olympic podium.

Among his former protégés, there are also Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva, respectively Olympic champion and Olympic vice-champion in 2018, or Alena Kostornaia, European champion 2020.

It was the postponement of the medal ceremony for the team competition, for "legal" reasons according to the IOC, which was the starting point of this affair.

Regarding this event, the main problem is to determine the consequences of Valieva's positive test for her team, victorious in front of the United States and Japan, Canada finishing in fourth place.

© 2022 AFP