Valieva Allowed to Take Part in Olympics Despite Positive Doping Test As of 25 Dec - ITA

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine on December 25 but she her suspension was withdrawn on February 9 and she is allowed to take part in the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Friday.

"To state the facts chronologically, a sample from the athlete was collected under the testing authority and results management authority of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on 25 December 2021 during the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The WADA-accredited laboratory of Stockholm, Sweden, reported that the sample had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the non-specified prohibited substance trimetazidine ... on 8 February 2022," ITA said in a statement.

"On the evening of 9 February 2020, the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee decided to lift the athlete’s provisional suspension, thus allowing her to continue her participation in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022," the statement added.

On Monday, Russian figure skaters won the team tournament at the Beijing Games. The Russian national team included Mark Kondratyuk, Valieva, Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov (pairs), Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (ice dance).

The awards ceremony was rescheduled first from Monday to Tuesday, and then - indefinitely. The IOC said that the situation required legal consultations with the International Skating Union (ISU). Later, Insidethegames reported that the delay in the awards ceremony was due to Valieva's doping test. The 15-year-old had tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication, according to the International Testing Agency.