The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has indicated a desire to accelerate the appeal filed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concerning Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Earlier, the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) found that Valieva committed an anti-doping rule violation but ruled that it was not her fault or negligence. WADA appealed this decision to CAS, seeking a formal determination.
“The IOC welcomes WADA’s step to bring this matter to CAS, bringing the community closer to a final decision that athletes have eagerly awaited,” stated the IOC communications team, as reported by TASS.
Regarding the non-Olympic review impacting the results of the team and individual figure skating contests at the 2022 Beijing Games, the IOC expressed hope that the matter would be resolved promptly.
The resolution of the CAS proceedings would enable the International Skating Union to declare the final results of the team figure skating events at these Games and would allow the IOC to determine medal allocations accordingly, the IOC noted.
During the 2022 Olympics, Valieva faced a doping controversy after a substance was detected in a sample she provided in December 2021. Valieva had helped her team secure the gold medal in the team event in Beijing, but her standing in individual competition remained unsettled.
Travis Tygart, a former head of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), voiced the expectation that CAS handling of the Valieva case would bring about a just outcome in the end.