BEIJING, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva failed a test for a banned substance and her future at the Beijing Olympics will be decided before her next event on Tuesday, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Friday.
Valieva, 15, failed the test collected at the Russian national championships on Dec. 25 and the sample returned positive on Feb. 8, prompting the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to impose an automatic provisional suspension, ITA said in a statement.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which said it wanted the matter to be expedited as quickly as possible, will appeal against RUSADA’s decision with a ruling expected before Tuesday’s women’s single event.
“The IOC will exercise its right to appeal and not to wait for the reasoned decision by RUSADA, because a decision is needed before the next competition the athlete is due to take part in (Women Single Skating, 15 February 2022),” ITA said.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) skaters won the team event on Monday, but the medal ceremony was delayed for legal reasons, said the IOC at the time.
Valieva, who had already practiced at the rink adjacent to the Capital Indoor Stadium on Thursday, took to the ice again for practice on Friday.
The female figure skaters of ROC have another training slot available at 1305 local time (0305GMT) on Friday, which they are free to skip.
