The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not punish her for using the banned trimetazidine, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Friday. Although the Russian tribunal concluded that Valiyeva had committed a violation of anti-doping rules with a positive test, it did not find that she had committed the offense intentionally or negligently. So far, the only penalty is the erasure of her results from the time the positive sample was submitted.
WADA wants to study the full reasoning of the ruling before a possible appeal to CAS. The USA is still waiting for the final resolution of the case, originally the second team, Japan third and Canada fourth, which would receive bronze in the event of Russia’s disqualification.
“Since this concerns a test that was conducted outside the Olympic Games, but which has an impact on the outcome of the team and individual competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the IOC hopes that the case will be resolved as soon as possible. It is also in the interest everyone involved, especially the athletes who still haven’t received their medals from the 2022 Games,” the IOC wrote in a statement quoted by insidethegames.
Despite the positive test, Valijevová could start in the women’s Olympic competition, but she could not take the pressure and finished fourth. Currently, she competes only on the Russian stage, because, like all Russian and Belarusian figure skaters, she is not allowed to participate in international competitions due to the Russian attack on Ukraine. So he will not be defending his European title in Espoo next week.