RUSSIAN figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva will learn on Monday whether she can continue competing in the Beijing Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said today.

The IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the International Skating Union (ISU) are appealing against the decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) to lift a suspension it imposed on the 15-year-old after she tested positive for a banned drug.

CAS said in a statement it would hold the hearing tomorrow and the parties would be notified of the court’s decision on Monday afternoon Beijing time, a day before Valieva is due to skate in the Olympics singles event.

She played a starring role in helping the Russians win the Olympic figure skating team gold on Monday.

The next day, the result of a test she took during the Russian championships on December 25 was communicated to Valieva – six weeks after she gave the sample. 

Yesterday, the International Testing Agency publicly confirmed that her sample contained traces of the banned substance trimetazidine.

Trimetazidine is a metabolic agent used to treat angina and vertigo, but it is banned by Wada because it can increase blood flow efficiency and help endurance.

Rusada had suspended the skater when it received the result but she successfully appealed against the decision, enabling her to continue at the Beijing Games.

If the IOC, Wada and the ISU succeed in overturning RUSADA’s decision, Valieva would be barred from taking part in the singles event. – AFP, February 12, 2022.