Russia's gold medal in figure skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics is in question after it was revealed that the girl phenomenon, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva , was found to be the first female athlete to do a quadruple.
According to two Russian newspapers, the golden girl of figure skating tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, which is used to treat angina. Although the Russian Olympic Committee refused to comment that the member of the “gold” ensemble in their country figure skating team tested positive, the International Olympic Committee requested and succeeded in postponing twice the award ceremony of both its gold medal. 15-year-old as well as the rest of the Russian team, saying that “legal consultations” are being held.
Although the drug found in her body does not enhance the performance of athletes , it is nevertheless included in the list of metabolic regulators of the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) and is prohibited both inside and outside competitions.
Trimetazidine is a substance that helps cells in a state of reduced blood or oxygen supply to function properly and maintain balance and is indicated for the treatment of angina pectoris. It is the same drug that was involved in a case of a Russian athlete at the 2018 Olympic Games that ended in a settlement and was punished with an eight-month ban.
The sample was reportedly taken before Valieva won the European Championship last month in Estonia, a performance that strengthened her position as the leader of the Russian team of selected women figure skaters who went to Beijing.
The exact nature of Kamila Valieva's problem is not clear, and the situation is further complicated because, according to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code, the 15-year-old is a “Protected Person” . This means that as an “athlete who at the time of the violation of the anti-doping rule: has not reached the age of sixteen” can not be officially recognized if she is guilty of anti-doping violation.
Given Valieva's age, the focus will be on the role played by “Team Tutberidze” , the successful Moscow gymnastics team led by Eteri Tutberidze, whose student is also former Olympian Alina Zagitova.
The news comes as a major blow to the IOC after it decided to allow Russian athletes to compete despite a global ban by the Russian national team following revelations that Russian athletes were involved in state-organized systemic doping to conquer the country. more medals, with the cover-up being made by the Ministry of Sports, the Russian secret services and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
The Russians seemingly completed their victory in the team event on Monday, with Valieva becoming the first athlete to achieve a quadruple axle in the free program. After the entire Russian team went to the ice for the informal “flower ceremony”, the six athletes eventually did not wear the gold medals on their chests as the ceremony was postponed for 24 hours without any explanation – and then postponed again indefinitely.
If the Russian team is eliminated, the US team will receive the gold, Japan the silver and Canada, which finished in fourth place, will receive the bronze medal. If any athlete or team is disqualified or the results are canceled, an objection is likely to follow, which could further delay the award of the medals. The Sports Arbitration Court has set up an office in Beijing to hear urgent cases. Valieva's status for next week's individual competition has also been called into question.
Tatiana Volosozar, who won two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, rushed to Instagram to support Valieva, using the hashtag #iwillneverbelieve (s.s. I will never believe it) doped in Beijing, uploading a photo with her daughter by her side.
Check out this post on Instagram.
“@ Kamilavalieva26, I am with you with all my heart, everything is with you! Girl be patient !! “I proudly show my daughter next to a very smart 15-year-old athlete!”, He wrote, among other things, in the caption of the photo. Valieva herself “liked” Volosozar's post.
