Anna Antseliovich, head of sports practice of the legal agency Clever Consult, evaluated the period of disqualification of figure skater Kamila Valieva, appointed by the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In a comment to socialbites.ca, he expressed surprise at the four-year suspension and explained why this period should have been shorter.
“To be honest, I expected it to be less; After all, he has the status of a protected person. CAS clearly states that it cannot prove that the drug was given unintentionally, but the rules make it clear that the protected person does not have to specify the specific source of the substance entering the body, everything is simpler for them. Often, protected individuals do not receive maximum sanctions. This is an extremely difficult decision, it was unexpected,” said Antseliovich.
On December 25, 2021, the banned substance trimetazidine was found in the sample taken from the athlete at the Russian Championship. The fact that the test gave a positive result became clear at the 2022 Olympics after Russia’s victory in the team tournament.
At the same time, CAS allowed Valieva to participate in the individual tournament, with the condition that the award ceremony would not take place if the skater won a medal. Valieva took the lead after the short program, but made a number of serious mistakes in the free skate, which ultimately allowed her to take fourth place.
The disqualification will deprive Camila of many awards she has won since December 25, 2021. The champion of Russia – 2022, the European champion – 2022, the Olympic champion in the team championship – 2022, the Russian jumping champion – 2023 and the silver and bronze medal titles in the Russian championships – 2023 and 2024 lose their titles.
It was before named The positive side of Valieva’s disqualification.