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The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) investigation into figure skater Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test has ruled that the teenager was not guilty of any doping infraction, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday.
WADA said in a statement that RUSADA had determined that although Valieva had committed an anti-doping rule violation, she bore “no fault or negligence” for it.
As such, the tribunal imposed no sanction except for the disqualification of her results on the date of the sample collection on Dec. 25, 2021, before the then 15-year-old competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
WADA had been seeking a four-year ban and said in a statement that it was “concerned” by the finding and will not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021, but the result was only made known on Feb. 8, a day after she helped her team win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
In her defense, Valieva said the positive test was the result of a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication.
During the Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided no medals for the team figure skating event would be presented until Valieva’s case had been resolved.
The United States took silver behind the Russians, with Japan getting the bronze and Canada placing fourth.
“As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Beijing Games, it remains very important that the figure skating team event athletes who competed in Beijing get the resolution they deserve,” said the USOPC in a statement.
“We thank WADA for their commitment to reviewing this issue and moving the process forward as expeditiously as possible.”
The RUSADA ruling also angered Travis Tygart, head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), who urged WADA and the International Skating Union (ISU) to immediately appeal the decision.
“WADA and the ISU have to appeal this decision, for the sake of the credibility of the anti-doping system and the rights of all athletes,” Tygart said in a statement to Reuters.
