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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2022 0:04:02 GMT
If Valieva is sanctioned, then any penalties are likely to be much less severe than if she was over the age of 16 and the role her entourage played will come under close scrutiny.
The International Testing Agency (ITA), which is conducting drugs testing at Beijing 2022, did not comment on the specifics of the case.
"The ITA is aware of the various reports circulating regarding the postponed medal ceremony for the figure skating team event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022," it said in a statement.
"Any announcement connected to these events would always be publicly issued on the ITA's website and not commented on otherwise.
"No such announcement has been published to date."
Russian Figure Skating Federation spokesperson Olga Yermolina told the country’s official state news agency TASS that the organisation is "waiting for information".
"Perhaps it will be tomorrow morning," Yermolina added.
Earlier in the day, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams had refused to elaborate on the situation.
"Because there are legal implications involved I can't talk very much about it at this stage," he told the daily Beijing 2022 press briefing.
In Russia, the situation has reached as high as the Kremlin, with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov urging everyone to "wait for some clarification from our sports officials, or from the IOC for understanding".
The Russian Sports Ministry also issued a comment along similar lines this evening, saying in a news release that "the Russian Sports Ministry believes it will be too early to comment on media speculations about the delay of the team figure skating medal ceremony in Beijing before there is the official information on this score.
"Russia is committed to firm and systematic resistance to all violations of sports rules and Olympic ethics."
If the ROC lose a medal they had won by finishing ahead of the United States and Japan, it will be another embarrassment for a country already banned from competing under its own name and flag at these Olympics as punishment for its state-sponsored doping programme.
It would be a personal tragedy for Valieva, nicknamed "Miss Perfect" and already anointed by many judges as potentially the greatest female figure skater in history despite having scarcely started her senior career.
After her performance in Beijing, Hollywood A-lister Alec Baldwin took to Instagram to congratulate Valieva on her achievements, saying: "Thank you, Kamila Valieva, for your gift of heart-stopping beauty to the world."
She told reporters after her performance that she had set the goal of becoming an Olympic gold medallist when she was just a three-year-old.
Valieva's performance on Monday was more than 30 points higher than the second-best score from Japan's Kaori Sakamaoto.
She was too young to compete at last year's World Championships in Stockholm, but at the European Championships in Tallinn last month Valieva became the first woman to score more than 90 points in the short programme, setting a world record of 90.45 on her way to the title.
Her impressive performances have made her a strong favourite to win the gold medal in the individual event at Beijing 2022 as well.
Valieva's participation is uncertain now.
The competition is due to start next Tuesday (February 15) with the short programme, followed by the free skate on February 17.
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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2022 4:34:15 GMT
The AP, citing the Russian newspaper, reported that Valieva—the gold-medal favorite who just days before became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in the Olympics—apparently tested positive before the Beijing Games, and even before the European Championships in January. International athletes are tested randomly at any time, both during and outside of competitions. Valieva reportedly tested positive for the drug trimetazidine, which is a heart medication generally prescribed to patients with angina to maintain blood flow and prevent blockages that can stop the heart. It can also reduce inflammation and relax blood vessels, and helps people who have had stents or heart operations to maintain the steady flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Trimetazidine’s history in doping The drug has had a darker history in recent years, however, as a doping agent by athletes looking for an extra edge in endurance, whether for training or for competition. Since 2014, the World Anti-Doping Agency has listed trimetazidine as a metabolic modulator for that reason, since it can give athletes an unfair chemical advantage. Chinese swimmer Sun Yang served a three-month ban in 2014 after testing positive for the drug, while Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva was disqualified from the 2018 Olympics and served an eight-month ban for the same drug. It’s unclear whether Valieva has a heart condition or has another reason for legitimately using the drug. If either is the case, she would also have had to receive a special dispensation or medical allowance to use the medication. What happens next after Valieva’s reported positive drug test The medal ceremony for the team figure skating event, scheduled for Feb. 8 in Beijing, was postponed indefinitely. Neither the International Olympic Committee (IOC) nor the International Skating Union (ISU) has issued a statement about the apparent violation. In explaining the delay at its regular press briefing on Feb. 9, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams would only say that “a situation arose today on short notice which requires legal consultation with the ISU…It’s an emerging issue, and I can’t add very much.” The Russian team is already competing at its second Olympics as the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), since the country is still serving a two-year ban for a state-sponsored doping program. From December 2020 to December 2022, no athlete can represent or compete under the Russian flag at the Olympics, Paralympics, or World championships. Athletes can appeal doping violations, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport does have an office in Beijing to hear time-sensitive cases. If the Russian news reports are true, it could disqualify the ROC team, stripping them of the gold. That would mean the U.S. earns gold, current bronze medal winners Japan would be elevated to silver, and fourth-place Canada the bronze. Depending on the process, it could also prevent Valieva from competing in the women’s event that she was widely expected to win, due to start next week. Valieva, the Russian national champion, provided a glimpse of her stunning talent in the team event, skating both her short and free programs and making history as the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics. That accolade too could also come with an asterisk if the reports are confirmed that she has been using a banned substance without receiving a medical exemption.
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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2022 19:46:53 GMT
Ex-coach Valieva Kasumova said that people cannot believe in the abilities of the figure skater Maria Kasumova and Kamila Valieva The hype around the problematic doping test of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and claims about the alleged use of illegal drugs are caused by the fact that people cannot believe in her abilities. This opinion was expressed in an interview with News.ru by the former coach of the athlete Maria Kasumova. “It reminds me of the Middle Ages, when for the sake of hype, boys with newspapers shouted: “Bearded woman, bearded woman!” she said. The ex-coach of the figure skater expressed confidence that Valieva never resorted to doping. Kasumova noted that the girl has excellent initial data, which she has not seen in any other figure skater. According to her, Valiyeva does not need any drugs, including for the heart, since she was used to exercise since childhood and could run 25 laps at the stadium. That is why, according to the former coach, people are looking for excuses for her abilities. However, the explanation for Valieva's success is simple, she emphasized, it is a lot of work on herself and trust in the mentor Eteri Tutberidze. Kasumova also remembered working with Valieva and stated that she was proud of her pupil. According to her, she always saw her potential, although at the first meeting the skater did not twist double jumps. “They told me why I work with her, what I see in her, because there are girls better than her. I told everyone that everyone does not see what I see. And what she achieved - Olympic gold in the team - goes without saying,” Kasumova concluded. On February 9, the portal Inside The Games reported that the doping test of 15-year-old Valieva was questionable. According to media reports, the test was passed before the start of the Olympics - in December 2021. The sample contained traces of the drug trimetazidine, which is used to prevent angina pectoris.
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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2022 21:47:51 GMT
Russian teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva, who is at the center of a drug testing controversy at Beijing 2022, has received the support of the Kremlin back in Moscow, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not confirm reports of a positive test among the Russian figure skating team.
"It [the reports] flared up among those who did not have verified information," said Peskov. "As usual, not knowing the details, everyone began to yell far and wide. We will not join this orderly row of yellers."
It remains unclear exactly when the positive test was taken, but Russian newspaper RBC Sport reported on Wednesday that a failed drug test was taken in December and has only come to light during the Winter Olympics.
The controversy has continued to delay the medal ceremony of the figure skating team event, which was won by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
"The only primary source of information should be the IOC," Peskov added.
"You have heard the IOC statements, there is no point for us to add anything here. We are guided by the IOC and we wish our athletes, including Valieva, only gold medals."
Multiple sources have told CNN Sports analyst Christine Brennan the athlete from the figure skating team event on the ROC team who tested positive for a prohibited substance is a minor.
The only minor on the ROC figure skating team is the 15-year-old star Valieva, who made history in the team event this week as the first woman to land a quad jump at the Winter Olympics.
Valieva is the favorite to take gold in the women's figure skating event -- probably the most celebrated event at the Winter Olympics. That competition gets underway on February 15.
RBC Sport reported on Wednesday that a member of the ROC's figure skating team tested positive for trimetazidine, according to a source familiar with the situation and a source in the Russian Figure Skating Federation.
CNN has reached out to the ROC for comment but has not yet received a response.
Trimetazidine is a drug used to treat people with a heart condition known as Angina, a condition in which a person has chest pain due to poor blood flow to the heart. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) banned list. The ROC team won gold in the team event ahead of the USA in silver and Japan in third.
Valieva, who helped her team take the gold in the team event with her historic performance, was seen training on the ice in a scheduled practice session on Thursday.
Team USA told CNN in a statement that it doesn't "have all the details" as to why the medal ceremony was postponed.
"But in situations like this, it's about more than gold. It's about the integrity of fair sport and accountability," the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) spokeswoman Kate Harman said.
The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation also said it was premature to comment on the postponement of the awards ceremony, according to Russian sports channel Match-TV.
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Post by Admin on Feb 11, 2022 2:03:27 GMT
Figure skater Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee has tested positive for trimetazidine, a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), NBC confirmed in its primetime broadcast on Feb. 9. There was no update on how this will affect the results of the figure skating team competition, where Valieva skated two programs to help the ROC claim gold. It's also unclear whether Valieva will skate in the women's individual competition, which she is favored to win. The report from NBC comes after the medal ceremony for the team event was delayed for unspecified "legal reasons." Valieva, 15, placed first in both of her team-event routines and made headlines in her free skate for becoming the first woman to land a quad jump at the Olympics. In just her first season at the senior level, Valieva won gold at the European Championships and set records for the highest short-program and free-skate scores ever recorded. However, unease persisted in the figure skating community about the tactics of her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, known for burning out young women skaters, pushing them to injury, and sacrificing their longevity to win medals. Tutberidze also coaches the two other women skaters on the Russian team, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova. Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug typically prescribed to treat the heart condition angina and is also known to improve blood flow and physical efficiency for athletes. WADA classifies it as a "metabolic modulator" and has listed it as a banned substance since 2014. Russia, meanwhile, is currently serving out a punishment handed down after a whistleblower exposed its state-run doping program, which came in the lead-up to the country's successful showing at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. (Russia is technically banned from the 2022 Olympics; this is why the country's athletes are competing for the "Russian Olympic Committee.") Russian media first began reporting Valieva's positive trimetazidine test on Wednesday, but neither the ROC nor the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially confirmed the results or any consequences that may stem from them. Valieva was seen at a training session on Wednesday night (Thursday in Beijing).
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