The deputy speaker of the State Duma, Olympic speed skating champion Svetlana Zhurova, suggested that any bias tied to a possible reshuffle of Beijing Olympic medals in team figure skating could influence the examination of the Kamila Valieva case.
She noted that if an athlete receives an acquittal, others involved should also be cleared. The Valieva situation appears highly politicized, she added.
Other factors come into play here. If Kamila faces a four year suspension, a shorter ban, or a disqualification, Russia could lose top placement in the team event. Bias could distort the results, Zhurova commented. This remark was reported by Match TV.
On February 21, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that RUSADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the acquittal of the anti-doping panel in Valieva’s case.
Valieva learned on January 13 about the court ruling that cleared her in the anti-doping matter. The only sanction remaining from the case was the nullification of her results from a certain national championship in 2021 after a positive test was confirmed.
The positive test came to light after the team event at the Beijing Games, where Valieva helped her Russian team win a gold medal.
Admiral Canadian Colby Williams, a former defender with the KHL Admiral Vladivostok club, offered his take on the contrast between Russian and North American mindsets.