Kamila Valieva, Ice Skater at the Center of Olympic Doping Scandal, Dropped from Russian National Team

Mar. 15, 2025

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Photo: Lintao Zhang/Getty

Kamila Valieva, the ice skater at the center of 2022Winter Olympicsdoping scandal, has been dropped from Russian National Team, per Russia’s state-owned news agencyTASS,ReutersandThe Moscow Times.

“Valieva is currently not on the list of the Russian national team. Everything is done in compliance with the legislative documents,” Alexander Kogan, the director general of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FSFR), told TASS on Thursday.

No further reason for Valieva’s removal was given, despite her finishing third at the recent Russian National Championships held in December.

On Jan. 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled to disqualify Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules starting on Dec. 25, 2021. The ruling invalidated all of her results from that date forward, including the 2022 Winter Olympics, which were held in February.

After the team event and before the individual event,Valieva tested positive for the banned substanceTrimetazidine. The drug is used to treat angina, a condition that causes severe pain in the chest. Dr. Sean Heffron, a preventative cardiologist, told PEOPLE at the time the drug could help Valieva"train at a higher intensity."

Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva practices at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images

Despite protests, Valieva was allowed to compete in the individual event, and evenplaced first after the short program. However, she had a meltdown in the free skating andfinished just off the podium in fourth.

Meanwhile, Valieva’s removal will have no upcoming impact on the upcoming 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal. Russia and Belarus have been indefinitely banned from international skating competitions since March 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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source: people.com