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WADA requires CAS to disqualify Valieva for four years and deprive Russia of Olympic gold

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) registered the application of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in the Kamila Valieva case. The Russian side refused to make the decision on the case public, as Valieva was under the age of 16 at the time of the doping test and was a protected person.

We draw attention to two very important facts. A few days before the official CAS press release was released, WADA President Witold Banka published a post on social networks.

“Despite RUSADA’s official notification, no progress has been made. Therefore, I can confirm that WADA has formally referred the case directly to CAS.”

Valieva, who won the title of Olympic champion in team competitions in Beijing, is disqualified for four years and her results are cancelled. Recall that the winners and prize winners of the team tournament are officially awarded, and together with Camila, five more Russian skaters may lose gold medals. This will happen if the disqualification period starts from December 2021.

We highlight one more nuance: they require a maximum period of disqualification for Valieva. Neither the minimum dose of a prohibited substance found in a single doping sample, clean samples taken before and after the 2022 Russian Championships, nor the age of an athlete who “cannot sip something to do the quadruple” are taken into account. No matter how you remember another high-profile Olympic scandal that occurred four years ago. It did not receive such resonance, as it occurred not only in figure skating, but also in curling, which is commemorated every four years during the Olympics.

Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won bronze medals in mixed doubles for the first time in domestic curling history, took the Olympic podium in Pyeongchang. Joy and pride were short-lived for the St. Petersburg Olympics. Meldonium was found in a doping sample taken by Krushelnitsky in Pyeongchang. Not to mention curling, a drug that in principle does not provide any advantage over its competitors even in tennis. Like trimetazidine, as it could end Valiev’s career.

After the Petersburg curlers returned to their hometown, a loud press conference was held at the Yubileiny sports complex, where they promised to deal with the situation. Dmitry Svishchev, who heads not only the sports profile committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, but also the Russian Curling Federation, gave the floor to the deputy. Other officials, lawyers, and a public relations representative who joined them also promised all kinds of help.

Krushelnitsky himself did not have any version of his appearance on the example of the notorious meldonium. The story ended sadly. No one has conducted an investigation that will leave a mark on a dark history. Krushelnitsky was given a maximum of four years of disqualification, which no one expected. Trying to play in women’s teams during this time, he and his wife ended his career and focused on his daughter.

This story has shown that those responsible for the pharmacological and legal support of elite sports have failed to develop the right line of defense. After all, another Russian athlete, Nadezhda Sergeeva, who tested positive for doping in Pyeongchang, proved her innocence. She mentioned that the recipe for the cold medicine she took did not indicate a prohibited drug. Same trimetazidine. As a result, in the fall of 2018, Sergeeva managed to start the stages of the World Cup, winning the CAS process.

It is hardly possible to call the chosen defensive line for Valieva a winner. Even in Russia, few believed the story of the grandfather’s glass, and even in the openly anti-Russian Western sports community, no one believed it. That said, Spanish figure skater Laura Baquero, who received a positive doping test directly in Beijing, escaped with a minimal disqualification time by telling a beautiful story about a hand cut and a healing cream.

Valieva is now under attack from all sides. A few days before Pan Banka’s message and the official CAS press release, the influential American newspaper The New York Times asked, “Who are you, Mr. Shvetsky?” For the purity of Russian sports, American fighters remembered the story of rowers at the 2008 Olympics, for which the doctor took charge, and experiments with working with xenon, such as cherry, which is now on the list of banned drugs. pie works in the Eteri Tutberidze group. Shvetsky’s departure on the eve of the next hearing in the Valieva case will be a trump card for the non-Russian side of the defense.

In this case, of course, there will be hotheads who will demand to support the initiative of the deputy Roman Teryushkov and do not recognize the decisions of WADA and CAS on the territory of Russia. This, of course, will allow Valieva to compete on the stages of the Russian Grand Prix, but for a long time it will block the path of our skaters to the international arena. You can continue to focus on ethical issues. Only then does a logical question arise: why didn’t they immediately demand harsh punishment for those who made the name and surname of the “protector” public, and did not at least sue Thomas Bach, who gave permission? A nightly interrogation of a 15-year-old girl on the eve of her performances in a free program at an individual tournament?

As long as we recognize the accepted rules of the game, we cannot raise charges for violating them. For penalties for doping punctures to be minimal or even conditional, we need to identify and punish the perpetrators ourselves. In the current situation, the forecasts are the most pessimistic. Gold awards in the Beijing Olympic team tournament will not be taken from Valieva or her teammates.

The opinion of the author may not coincide with the opinion of the editors.

Source: Ria

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