China News Service, January 30 (Xinhua) On the 29th, Beijing time, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport issued a statement stating that it would impose a four-year ban on Russian figure skater Kamila Valiyeva, starting from December 2021. Starting from the 25th, the reason was that he was found to have violated anti-doping rules. At the same time, her competition results obtained from December 25, 2021 to the present will be cancelled.

　　At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Valyeva helped the Russian Olympic Committee delegation win the figure skating team gold medal. This means that, based on the above penalty, the gold medal will be won by the then silver medalist Team USA.

  Valyeva (middle) waits for the score after the game. Picture taken by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan

　　Valyeva was born in 2006 and will only turn 18 in April this year. She was less than 16 years old when she competed in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

　　Valyeva became famous at a young age and showed her talent in figure skating very early. She was once regarded as the favorite to win the women's singles figure skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Due to her performance on and off the court, the audience gave her the nickname "K Bao".

  Image source: Screenshot of the statement of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport

　　The International Court of Arbitration for Sport stated in a statement that the cause of this incident can be traced back to December 25, 2021. At that time, the test sample provided by Valieva during the competition in Russia was positive. As a result, she was suspended for four years, and her competition results from December 25, 2021 to the present were cancelled.

　　As of press time, there is no official response from the Russian Olympic Committee to the results of this ruling.

  File photo of Valieva during the competition. Photographed by China News Service reporter Cui Nan

Event review

　　Valyeva was provisionally suspended by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency after the sample tested positive. After Valyeva appealed to the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, she was allowed to lift the temporary suspension and continue to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

　　Subsequently, the International Inspection Agency (ITA) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on behalf of the International Olympic Committee. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport said it would allow Valieva to continue participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics and would not impose any temporary ban on her.

　　Related incidents fermented during the Beijing Winter Olympics. Although Valieva was allowed to participate in the singles competition, under heavy pressure, her performance in the free skate, ranked first in the short program, fell behind the standard and she ultimately missed the podium. When the results were announced, Valieva, who was sitting waiting for the division, burst into tears.

  File photo of Valieva during the competition. Photographed by China News Agency reporter Li Jun

　　International Olympic Committee President Bach once said during the Beijing Winter Olympics that Valiyeva's previous test sample was indeed positive and this matter must be resolved. Bach said that the current anti-doping rules are to ensure the fairness of the competition, and the same rules must apply to everyone, while respecting special circumstances such as athletes being minors.

　　According to media reports, as to the reason why the test sample was positive, Valieva's legal team said that the water that Valieva drank may have been contaminated, and there were traces of Valieva's grandfather's heart medicine in it.

　　Early last year, the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency determined that Valyeva had "no fault or negligence" in the doping incident and only canceled the Russian Championship championship she won on the day of the drug test (December 25, 2021). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expressed dissatisfaction with this, and the United States Anti-Doping Agency also questioned Russia's "self-judgment" and requested a public hearing outside Russia. (over)