Doping Scandal at the Olympics
Figure skating is one of the most popular events of the Winter Olympics; but this year the event was overshadowed by a positive drug test and a controversial decision that followed. With the recent conclusion of the Olympic Games, here is everything that you need to know about the recent doping scandal.
After the conclusion of the team event in figure skating in which the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) finished first, it announced that the medal ceremony would be delayed due to a legal issue. It was later revealed that the reason for this delay was the fact that team member Kamila Valieva had tested positive for a banned substance.
As more information was revealed to the public, the controversy surrounding Valieva, who is only 15 years old, and the rest of her team, continued to grow. Valieva was said to have tested positive for Trimetazidine, a heart medication banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because of the belief that it can improve endurance.
However, Valieva’s positive test had not come from the Olympics. Instead, it had been taken on December 25th during the Russian Figure Skating Championships. Despite this positive test, the results were not returned until after Valieva had competed in the team event. Other drug tests taken by Valieva afterwards, such as those taken for the European Championships and the Olympics, had been negative.
After the news of the positive test, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) automatically imposed a provisional suspension. Valieva and her team then appealed the decision, and it was lifted a day later. Following this decision, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Skating Union (ISU), and WADA filed an appeal of their own seeking to reverse this decision.
It is important to note that because Valieva is a minor, she is considered a “protected person,” meaning that this case was much more delicate than a typical doping case. The decision on whether or not Valieva would be allowed to compete in the individual event was handled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who met on February 13th, just two days before the start of the individual competition.
On February 14th, CAS announced its decision to allow Valieva to compete. In a statement, CAS provided their reasoning for allowing Valieva to compete, citing “exceptional circumstances” due to Valieva’s status as a “protected person.” CAS also claimed that by preventing Valieva from competing, it could cause “irreparable harm.” After this decision was announced, the IOC stated that if Valieva won a medal, then no medal ceremony would be held due to the “inconclusive situation.”
Before the competition, Valieva had been the favorite for the gold medal in this event, and it had seemed that she would win after finishing first in the short program. But viewers were shocked when Valieva fell twice during the free skate and had many other mistakes during her performance. Valieva finished the competition in fourth place while her teammates, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova finished first and second with Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto in third. The investigation into Valieva’s positive drug test, as well as the decision of whether or not the ROC will be allowed to keep their gold medal in the team event, is ongoing.
