Sergei Alekseev, head of the sports law commission of the Russian Lawyers Union, drew a direct line between the doping cases involving Kamila Valieva and Iga Swiatek, the Polish tennis star who sits near the sport’s pinnacle. In both cases, the athletes tested positive for the same prohibited substance, a point he highlighted as he framed the discussion for readers of the sports daily. — Interfax
Alekseev argued that Valieva’s sanction at the start of 2024 carried a heavy weight, and he noted that if the substance truly entered her system unintentionally, the punishment should reflect that reality. He emphasized that intent matters and urged a careful distinction between deliberate cheating and accidental exposure in doping cases. — Interfax
He added that officials can choose to issue a warning or impose a suspension that lasts no more than six months in certain drug-related breaches. If a similar approach were applied to Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, and as many as 23 Chinese swimmers on the eve of the Tokyo Games, the debate would reveal a double standard in how sports disputes are resolved. — Interfax
Valieva was disqualified for four years in early 2024 after trimetazidine appeared in a doping sample taken at the 2021 Russian Championship. The prevailing theory suggested the substance entered her system through medication used by her grandfather, a possibility that has fueled continued discussion about how such exposures should be treated in elite sport. — Interfax
In August 2024 Swiatek faced a similar issue when the same drug was detected in a test. She received a one-month suspension and missed three tournaments in Seoul, Beijing, and Wuhan, while also losing prize money from the Cincinnati event. These developments have intensified debates about the enforcement of doping rules and the impact on athletes’ careers. — Interfax
Previously Tatiana Tarasova voiced concerns about what she saw as injustice in the Swiatek case, referencing the Valieva situation as part of the broader discussion on fairness in sport. Tarasova’s remarks added fuel to a long-standing conversation about how big cases are judged and how consistency is required across generations of athletes. — Interfax