Kamila Valieva: Anti-doping Case and Follow-ups

[Amei]

Well CBC is reporting that they have officially confirmed she tested positive, so there is that.

Here is the report mentioned in the tweet (it took awhile for it to load, so I thought I would copy and paste it:

First, the ITA stresses that Ms. Kamila Valieva, a member of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) delegation in Beijing, is a minor and therefore a ‘Protected Person’ under the World Anti-Doping Code – this status applies to persons under the age of 16. As such, the parties are not subject to mandatory public disclosure of her name or any case she might be involved in, instead any public disclosure must be proportionate to the facts and circumstances of the case. Seeing that some in the media did not grant her the same protection and have reported widely on the basis of unofficial information following the postponement of the medal ceremony of the figure skating Team Event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the ITA acknowledges the necessity for official information due to heightened public interest.

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 (classified as S4. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Code) on 8 February 2022. Following this, the athlete was provisionally suspended by RUSADA with immediate effect.

Pursuant to Article 15 of the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the decision of RUSADA imposing a provisional suspension automatically prohibited the athlete from participation in all sports during the provisional suspension, including the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

As the sample was collected by RUSADA ahead of the Winter Games, this case is not under the jurisdiction of the IOC and thus not directly managed by the ITA. In line with the IOC Anti-Doping Rules, the ITA immediately informed the athlete that the provisional suspension imposed on her by RUSADA is binding upon the IOC and the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Winter Games.

Due to the fact that this is not a case under the authority of the IOC and taking into account her abovementioned status as Protected Person, the ITA abstained from publicly
disclosing the case following the notification in order to protect the athlete’s identity as a minor and to ensure that all necessary measures for her physical and mental safeguarding could be implemented. All the while all due legal processes were initiated.

The athlete challenged the imposition of the provisional suspension before the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee on 9 February 2022 and a hearing took place on the same day. 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 reasoned decision, including the grounds for which the provisional suspension was lifted, will be issued shortly to all concerned parties.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Skating Union (ISU), RUSADA and the IOC have a right to appeal the decision to lift the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The IOC will exercise its right to appeal and not to wait for the reasoned decision by RUSADA, because a decision is needed before the next competition the athlete is due to take part in (Women Single Skating, 15 February 2022).

Following the delegation of the IOC’s anti-doping program in relation to the Olympic Games to the ITA, the ITA will lead the appeal before CAS on behalf of the IOC.

The proceedings on the merits of the apparent anti-doping rule violation, including the athlete’s right to request the analysis of the B-sample, will be pursued by RUSADA in due course.

The decision on the results of the ROC team in the Team Figure Skating event can be taken by the ISU only after a final decision on the full merits of the case has been taken. The procedure, which is initiated currently, can only address the provisional suspension.

Given that the legal process for this case is not finally concluded, the ITA will not provide any additional comments. Any further information on the case will be issued in form of a public statement.

 

[NaVi]

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 (classified as S4. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Code) on 8 February 2022. Following this, the athlete was provisionally suspended by RUSADA with immediate effect.

International Testing Agency-Beijing 2022: The ITA informs on figure skater Kamila Valieva

ita.sport

The Figure Skating Team Event began on the 4th but the women skated on the 6th and 7th. So literally the day after it gets reported.

I have a few questions....
1. Russia can not process the samples themselves as they must be shipped to another country. When was her sample shipped out, when was it received, and when was it processed? The fact they have to ship samples abroad will add time for them to be processed but it's "interesting" how long this took to be found. It took 6 1/2 weeks between sample collection and reporting. For vague reference, USADA results for the UFC take about 3 weeks.
2. What was the timeline and process for deciding when to release the results? Valieva could have easily been subbed and Russia would have still won. It would be unbecoming to slow ball the results if i they seriously don't want someone doping competing. It would also be unbecoming to slow ball positive doping results so that a medal would be rewarded just to be taken away thus resulting in maximum humiliation.
3. Valieva won so she probably had to have her samples taken. Did that extend to the rest of the medalists?

 

[Sjs5572]

Kamila has an advantage and that advantage is that she is flat out better than her competitors. It’s that simple.

You can drug up all her competitors to high heaven and it won’t miraculously make them jump quads. That happens through hard work, good genetics and good coaching.

That’s the thing about these doping stories. People start to believe that drugs make an athlete.

You can pump me full of any drugs but I’ll never be a top athlete.

This is not addressed to Kamila, because she did nothing wrong, but to the general adult athlete: We like watching professional sports (at least I do), and watch people do amazing things. In some sports, it can’t be possible to be 100% all the time because they are still human bodies. So, I have no problem looking the other way when athletes take steps to maintain their excellence.

If we want to watch amateurs doing this, that’s one thing, but if you want to watch footballers running for 90 minutes, or tennis players at 35 having more stamina than they did at 20, or cyclists pedaling well for 3 weeks straight, then we have to let them do what they have to do.

Sorry, but I am not against drugs in pro sports. Not will I condemn such athletes.

Why not

Geez, how did she compete at Europeans and the Team Event if the provisional suspension was lifted yesterday?

 

[Wafflecakes]

Wow this will come as an absolute shocker.... it looks to me like it is the ROC's fault disclosure was delayed.

https://twitter.com/rockerskating/status/1491977902795247634

Order of events: + RUS Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) collected a sample on 25 Dec during RUS Natls + Results of positive result for trimetazidine (classified in the "S4. Hormone and Metabolic Moduators" category returned on 8 Feb + Valieva provisionally suspended 8 Feb

Because the sample was collected by RUSADA before , the case wasn't under the jurisdiction of the IOC and "thus not directly managed by the ITA," therefore ITA did not publicly disclose the case

Its almost like the Russians were (SHOCKED GASP) covering it up!

 

[gsk8]

Why is the (positive test) just now coming up? Basically Adams answered that WADA needs to be asked. Goes on to talk about "due process and done properly."

 

[cheerknithanson]

Wait.....there's a mistake. They said 2020...

 

[gsk8]

@Wafflecakes please stop.

 

[Tinymavy15]

If Kamila was using an illegal substance are we really supposed to believe that none of the other skaters with whom she shares the same doctor, and the same coaches are either? Of course she's the favorite, but this should cast a question on the whole team, at least from Sambo 70. If test results take 6 weeks to come back, who is to say that she isn't, or other athletes are not using these substances right now?

 

[beachmouse]

For the curious, Moscow's anti-doping lab had its ability to run blood tests suspended in October, 2021-

Moscow Laboratory hit by new WADA suspension after fresh claims of manipulation

Moscow's Anti-Doping Laboratory has had its status to test blood samples formally revoked by the World Anti-Doping Agency after it claimed to have dis...

www.insidethegames.biz

It was announced that WADA's Executive Committee voted yesterday to endorse an earlier decision to strip the facility in the Russian capital of its approved status to carry out blood testing for the athlete biological passport (ABP).

ABP is designed to monitor different biological components that reveal doping over time.

It is alleged that the incident is related to data extracted in 2019, which at the time was located on servers and laboratory and sealed off by the Russian authorities.

WADA wanted to examine the data to prosecute cases allegedly covered up in the past.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has denied data stored at the laboratory was altered deliberately.

I think that head of RUSADA has to be one of the worst job in the world of sport because there will be screaming from all sides no matter what you do.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

If Kamila was using an illegal substance are we really supposed to believe that none of the other skaters with whom she shares the same doctor, and the same coaches are either? Of course she's the favorite, but this should cast a question on the whole team, at least from Sambo 70. If test results take 6 weeks to come back, who is to say that she isn't, or other athletes are not using these substances right now?

There could be several reasons one skater would use a prohibited substance while training mates wouldn't, for example to accelerate recovery from illness or injury.

 

[soccerjc77]

So does that means that Elizaveta Tuktamysheva will replace Kamila Valieva in individual event ?

 

[NaVi]

Its almost like the Russians were (SHOCKED GASP) covering it up!

You're not interpreting the tweet right... ITA takes over testing from WADA a certain time period before the Olympics and Russian Nationals was before that time period thus the sample had to be sent to a WADA laboratory... but Russia is not allowed to process samples so they go abroad. There's nothing about covering anything up.

 

[alexocfp]

So, long story short, everyone is lawyering up and it’s going to CAS.

 

[Plisskin]

I'm reading quick hits from Jackie Wong about the press conference. It's been confirmed. What I dont understand so far is why IOC has no jurisdiction when she's currently competing in an international competition? I mean, her suspension was lifted by RUSADA and of course they would lift it. Extreme conflict of interest there. Yeah, I dont think this is fair at all.

 

[Wafflecakes]

You're not interpreting the tweet right... ITA takes over testing from WADA a certain time period before the Olympics and Russian Nationals was before that time period thus the sample had to be sent to a WADA laboratory... but Russia is not allowed to process samples so they go abroad. There's nothing about covering anything up.

I would argue that the fact that Russia can't test their own samples because they manipulated testing data isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of their innocence either.

In this scenario the delay is still their fault as their practices is what made it so that the samples could not be tested locally.

 

[karne]

So does that means that Elizaveta Tuktamysheva will replace Kamila Valieva in individual event ?

No, Valieva already used her spot.

 

[TontoK]

If I'm reading the timeline correctly, some things are starting to make sense.

She tested at Russian nationals on Christmas Day.

The test results weren't delivered until Feb 8.

Kamilla had already skated the Team SP and LP on Feb 6 and Feb 7.

This explains how she was able to skate at Europeans and in the Team Event without incident. Those events had taken place before the positive test had been returned.

I need a fact-check that I've gotten the timeline correct.

 

[Amei]

So does that means that Elizaveta Tuktamysheva will replace Kamila Valieva in individual event ?

Valieva competed in the Team event even if they DQ her results, I don't know how they justify letting an alternate come in.

 

[ramurphy2005]

If I'm reading the timeline correctly, some things are starting to make sense.

She tested at Russian nationals on Christmas Day.

The test results weren't delivered until Feb 8.

Kamilla had already skated the Team SP and LP on Feb 6 and Feb 7.

This explains how she was able to skate at Europeans and in the Team Event without incident. Those events had taken place before the positive test had been returned.

I need a fact-check that I've gotten the timeline correct.

That's my understanding of it, too.

 

[cheerknithanson]

If I'm reading the timeline correctly, some things are starting to make sense.

She tested at Russian nationals on Christmas Day.

The test results weren't delivered until Feb 8.

Kamilla had already skated the Team SP and LP on Feb 6 and Feb 7.

This explains how she was able to skate at Europeans and in the Team Event without incident. Those events had taken place before the positive test had been returned.

I need a fact-check that I've gotten the timeline correct.

So basically a coincidence they came back that day?