Kamila Valiyeva will remember February 17, 2022 well. That Thursday, the young Russian was on the ice in the Beijing Hallenstadion, and she also sat for a short time, because the only 15-year-old Russian fell several times during her freestyle to music. The immense pressure on her was just too much. The gold favorite in women’s figure skating finished fourth and burst into tears.
The fact that Valiewa participated at all surprised many viewers of the Olympic Games. After all, a few days earlier, the results of a doping test on December 25, 2021 had become public. The result: positive. The heart drug trimetazidine was found in Valiyeva’s blood. The banned substance is on the doping list because it improves the performance of the heart and delays fatigue.
A few days earlier, Valiewa had won gold in the team competition, but the awards ceremony was postponed due to the findings. To this day, a year later, it is still not clear who gets the medals. Despite this, Kamila Valiyeva has since become a star in her country.
At that time, the young figure skater was suspended for the individual competition, which the international sports field Cas canceled a short time later. Valiewa was allowed to start – and did. Probably also under pressure from Eteri Tutberidse, her trainer. It was also Tutberidze who was sharply criticized after the tragic freestyle with several falls. Because while 15-year-old Valiewa cried next to her, the trainer initially remained ice cold and stared at the score.
“This Is Unbearable”
Katarina Witt, former figure skater and ARD expert on this day, couldn’t hold back her tears during the live broadcast:
Witt had no understanding of the behavior of Tutberidze’s coaching team:
Valiewa could not explain the positive doping test itself. Her lawyers said she came into contact with the drug through a glass. Valiyeva’s grandfather takes trimetazidine and drank from the same cup as her. Doubts about the story soon arose. German pharmacologist and doping expert Fritz Sörgel told the German news agency: “The amount for a positive doping test cannot enter the body through saliva on a glass rim.”
The experts also doubted whether the 15-year-old had consciously used doping. They focused much more on the Russian government, because at least since the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, state doping has been known to take place systematically in Russia.
What happened after the Olympics?
Despite the accusations, Valiyeva was celebrated on her return from Beijing. At the airport, fans were waiting for the young figure skater with flowers. In Russia, parts of the population saw the positive doping test as a kind of plot to discredit the great talent.
In the weeks that followed, Valiyeva grew quieter. This was also due to Russia attacking Ukraine just a few days after the figure skating final. Putin’s war overshadowed events in Beijing.
She was seen in public for the first time at the end of March. At an event of the state television channel “Perwy kanal”, known in this country as “Channel One”, she was back on the ice. Valiewa was celebrated by the spectators at the World Cup stadium in Saransk. At the end of the freestyle, some threw hugs at the young athlete.
At that time there was no doping ban yet, but since Russian athletes were not allowed to participate in international tournaments due to the war of aggression, Valiyeva only measured herself against her compatriots.
An award from Putin
In her home country, the controversial Olympic fourth was now a big star. The impression was created that it was not her compatriot Anna Shcherbakova who won gold in Beijing, but Valiyeva. President Vladimir Putin also used the figure skater for his political purposes, honoring her on her 16th birthday on April 26.
Putin presented Valiyeva with a bouquet of flowers and praised her performance at the Olympics. She turned the sport into an art form, he said at the event. “Such perfection cannot be achieved unfairly through the use of means or manipulation,” continued the Russian president.
Just over a month later, the World Figure Skating Federation raised the minimum age for elite athletes from 15 to 17. However, this should not concern Kamila Valiyeva. On the one hand, because she was still not allowed to participate in international competitions due to the ban on Russian athletes. On the other hand, because the decision is implemented step by step. From the summer of 2023, the age limit will initially be raised from 15 to 16 years. A runner must have reached this age at the start of the season on July 1. At the start of the 2024 season, the rule will take effect from the age of 17.
Wada presses, Rusada responds
In national competitions, Valiewa was allowed to continue anyway. She also appeared at other major events. At charity events, curling championships or the halftime show at a game of ice hockey legends – Valiyeva was everywhere. It was also used for the puck drop, as it were the kick-off of an ice hockey game in the Russian league.
While her popularity continued to grow, her international future on the ice was still unclear. Because there was no decision in Valiyeva’s doping case. The World Anti-Doping Agency put pressure on Wada because Rusada, the Russian doping agency, had not yet completed its investigation nine months after the finding. “While Rusada has been formally asked to resolve Kamila Valiyeva’s case immediately, no progress has been made,” Wada president Witold Banka said in November. “I can therefore confirm that Wada has now officially referred the matter directly to the Sports Court.”
The pressure paid off, because at the beginning of January Rusada made a decision: Valiyeva was acquitted. It was not until the end of 2021 that she was deprived of the Russian championship title. Andreas Wagner, president of the German Skating Federation, criticized the proceedings: “The fact that she was stripped of the national title seems like Rusada threw a lump to show: We are doing something.”
The Wada representatives were outraged, they had asked for a four-year suspension. The acquittal caused misunderstanding.
On the other hand, there was strong support for the decision from Russia. The lawyer Alexei Sergeyev explained in an interview with the television station “Moskau24”: “After that positive doping test, there were a few more tests, all of which were negative. Both before the Olympic Games and during the Games, and also before and after the European Championships in 2022. But we don’t know how the International Court of Arbitration for Sport will decide.”
The wait has no end yet
The enthusiasm of Russian sports fans for Valyeva will continue in 2023. In a representative survey of the Russian opinion research institute “Wziom”, she was even named Sportswoman of the Year 2022. She received seven percent of the vote, beating Olympic cross-country skiing champion Alexander Bolschunov (five percent) and ice hockey superstar Alexander Ovechkin (four percent) . Olympic figure skating champion Anna Shcherbakova received only 2 percent of the vote.
Even though this national title means a lot, it doesn’t come close to an Olympic victory. To this day, it is not clear who won the team figure skating competition at the Beijing Games. If Valiyeva were suspended, Russia would likely be disqualified. The wait for Cas’s decision continues.
Also the runners up from the USA who still have a chance to win gold. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue told CNN they have an “empty medal box in our room.” They didn’t even take silver home. They were disappointed when they were told at the last minute on February 8 that the medal ceremony would be postponed due to Valiyeva’s fall.
“We were very much looking forward to experiencing this Olympic moment together. It was an incredibly difficult situation for everyone involved, but I don’t think it’s fair to the medal-winning athletes that they had to miss this moment. It was hard to go home empty handed,” Hubbell said.
It is not known by when Cas wants the decision to be made. Kamila Valiyeva is unlikely to care about the result, but her fans do. For them, the Russian would be a star, even with a doping suspension and subsequent disqualification.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
