Two-time Olympic hockey champion Vyacheslav Fetisov expressed his support for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was disqualified for four years for anti-doping rule violations. His words guide the way “Sports Express”.
“I am truly sorry that we could not protect the rights of an underage athlete. I convey my words of support to Kamila, who is not guilty of anything. I don’t even know what could calm her down today. This is a big blow for me,” said Fetisov.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) disqualified Valieva for four years from December 25, 2021 – on this day of the year, trimetazidine, a banned substance, was found in the athlete’s sample taken at the Russian Championships. 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 fate of the Olympic team’s tournament medals will be decided by the International Skating Union Council (ISU) at the meeting to be held on February 7. If the Russian team is deprived of gold, it will go to the USA, Japan will receive silver, and Canada will receive bronze.
Valieva case at the heads of the State Duma named Special operation against Russia.