Athlete outcry grows over Russian skater Valieva’s doping ruling

Valieva is slated to compete in the women’s short programme Tuesday evening in Beijing, but the IOC said after the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling that it would not have a medal ceremony for the event event if Valieva ends up on the podium, which she is widely favoured to do. — Reuters

A growing number of athletes are voicing their opposition to the decision to allow Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva to keep competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, even though the teenager was found to have failed a drug test before the games.

An international sports court on Monday declined to impose a temporary suspension on the 15-year-old Valieva due to her status as a minor and out of consideration for the “irreparable harm” that could cause her, after it came to light on Feb 8 that she had tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart drug that can improve endurance. The Russian anti-doping agency had temporarily suspended Valieva after that. The International Olympic Committee, the International Skate Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency had all appealed to have Valieva’s suspension reinstated.