Valieva Banned for Four Years, Effective December 25, 2021

[Firedancer]

The Russian team's reputation:

a. As explained by Prof. Schumacher and Dr Iljukov, TMZ is recommended for use in Russian sport. It has been recommended in the Russian National Guidelines on Sports Medicine and a review of the scientific literature in Russia shows that “TMZ is widely recommended in elite sport in particular in support of the heart in connection with heavy training” – in circumstances where the Athlete was diagnosed with a heart condition at the end of 2020.

b. Russian medical literature indicates that TMZ is also prescribed to young athletes. Ex 45 ref 10 and 11

c. The Athlete was using Hypoxen and L-Carnitine at the time of the positive doping control (as disclosed on the DCF) and was also using Ecdysterone (which was not disclosed on her DCF but was detected in her Sample by the Stockholm Laboratory). Prof. Schumacher and Dr Iljukov state that these three substances as well as TMZ are “typical pharmacological support provided to athletes in Russia to assist in heavy training load and improve recovery” and that there is likely a synergistic relationship among Hypoxen, L-carnitine and TMZ.

d. The Athlete was using products beyond Hypoxen, L-carnitine and Ecdysterone. According to FMBA, for the two year period 2020-2021 the Athlete was given approximately 60 different medications and supplements.

e. Ms Tutberidze was the Athlete’s head coach. In an interview in 2019 Ms Tutberidze confirmed that meldonium was provided to Russian athletes for improved recovery and in support of the heart muscle and that after meldonium was banned by WADA in 2016 “we had to look for something new”. TMZ and meldonium have similar properties.

f. Dr Shvetskiy (who was named by the Athlete as her doctor in the DCF) was sanctioned in 2007 for the use of substances by a prohibited method and in 2016 a sample of one of his skaters was found to contain meldonium.

If they know Russia is giving TMZ to elite athletes, is anyone doing anything with that information?

 

[Colonel Green]

It might get its wish. Has Canada done anything beyond expressing its disappointment and view of the rules and issuing a statement that it is "considering" challenging the ISU's decision?

They might be looking at options and consulting their lawyers, etc

Beyond consulting lawyers, since the ISU’s proposal hasn’t been approved by the council yet, I’m not sure there is anything to appeal, technically. CAS might tell them to wait to see whether the ISU actually goes through with its proposal first.

 

[nlloyd]

Holy Moly

What does it mean when they say the athlete gave no evidence of Solovyov's existence? We know he exists because he was deposed, as per one of the summaries above, and I assume it was she who mentioned he drove two hours every day to take her to a rink that was 200m for her apartment. He was certainly very invested in her.

I do think it is highly suspect that he refused to be interviewed by CAS or RUSADA. Perhaps he was afraid of legal action of some kind or other. I can't believe the Russian media will leave him be, however.

Also, if he was not related to Valieva, why did she refer to him as "grandfather." Is that a common practice in Russia, the same way children in other countries may refer to unrelated adults as "aunt."

 

[skategal]

What does it mean when they say the athlete gave no evidence of Solovyov's existence? We know he exists because he was deposed, as per one of the summaries above, and I assume it was she who mentioned he drove two hours every day to take her to a rink that was 200m for her apartment. He was certainly very invested in her.

I do think it is highly suspect that he refused to be interviewed by CAS or RUSADA. Perhaps he was afraid of legal action of some kind or other. I can't believe the Russian media will leave him be, however.

Also, if he was not related to Valieva, why did she refer to him as "grandfather." Is that a common practice in Russia, the same way children may refer to unrelated adults as "aunt."

IIRC he is the father of the boyfriend of Kamila’s mother.

 

[Prancer]

IIRC he is the father of the boyfriend of Kamila’s mother.

Somewhere in there I think it says that he was a friend of Kamila's father who took on the role of grandfather. I'm looking for it.

ETA: No, @skategal is right.

Mr Gennaidy Vasilyevich Solovyov is the father of the former partner of Ms Alsu Valieva and was referred to by the Athlete as her grandfather. He will be referred to in this Award as “Mr Solovyov” or the “Grandfather”.

But later it says they are not related.

 

[airgelaal]

Timeline

o. On the same day, 7 February 2022, the Stockholm Laboratory completed the Confirmation Procedure on 202107432A-10 and (i) recorded the result in theStockholm Laboratory’s LIMS and (ii) submitted to WADA’s Anti-DopingAdministration & Management System (“ADAMS”) a “Test Report” statingthat the test result was an “Adverse Analytical Finding” (or “AAF”) for the ASample for “S4. Hormone and metabolite Modulators/ trimetazidine”.
p. On 8 February 2022, the Stockholm Laboratory provided to RUSADA (inresponse to an inquiry as to the level of concentration detected by the StockholmLaboratory) an approximate concentration of 2.1 ng/mL (or 0.0021 mg/L). Thiswas provided upon the stated qualification that there was no requirement toCAS 2023/A/9451 - CAS 2023/A/9455 - CAS 2023/A/9456 – Page 10report the concentrations of non-threshold substances (such as TMZ) and that“the laboratory has applied a method that was developed for qualitativepurposes and, other than having established that the mentioned substance ispresent in the Sample at a concentration above the method's limit ofidentification, assignment of the absolute concentration of the analyte in theSample falls outside the intended purpose”.

On 8 February 2022, RUSADA notified the Athlete of the presumptive AAF in respectof the doping control that had been conducted on 25 December 2021 (as describedabove) and that she was provisionally suspended as from the date of the notice.

 

[skategal]

Somewhere in there I think it says that he was a friend of Kamila's father who took on the role of grandfather. I'm looking for it.

ETA: No, @skategal is right.

Mr Gennaidy Vasilyevich Solovyov is the father of the former partner of Ms Alsu Valieva and was referred to by the Athlete as her grandfather. He will be referred to in this Award as “Mr Solovyov” or the “Grandfather”.

But later it says they are not related.

Sounds like they are (badly) trying to say that there is no biological or legal relationship even though he was acting as a grandfather to Kamila.

 

[airgelaal]

I think that “grandfather” agreed to help in February 2022, as he was assured that this was just a formality. But when the matter became very serious, he refused to get involved in this case. Especially if he had to lie and forge documents.

 

[Prancer]

Sounds like they are (badly) trying to say that there is no biological or legal relationship even though he was acting as a grandfather to Kamila.

Yes. Duh. Sometimes I'm slow.

 

[nlloyd]

I think that “grandfather” agreed to help in February 2022, as he was assured that this was just a formality. But when the matter became very serious, he refused to get involved in this case. Especially if he had to lie and forge documents.

Yes, it's telling that he was unable to produce a prescription after 2008, apart from an undated one just after the Olympics.

At the same time, the number of drugs that Valieva had taken in a two-year period (sixty) is astonishing and very concerning. That she took two drugs commonly taken along with TMZ, drugs that worked in a synergistic way with it, is also telling. When this fact is read alongside Russian literature reviews showing TMZ to be recommended for young athletes, I can see how the CAS came to the conclusion it did, and why the Russian Federation wanted to suppress the report.

 

[Prancer]

Yes, it's telling that he was unable to produce a prescription after 2008, apart from and an undated one just after the Olympics.

TMZ is sold OTC in Russia. But Kamila's team could not produce evidence of a purchase.

At the same time, the number of drugs that Valieva had taken in a two-year period (sixty) is astonishing and very concerning.

I think most of those are nutrition supplements. I also think that list might have been an attempt to bury:

That she took two drugs commonly taken along with TMZ, drugs that worked in a synergistic way with it, is also telling.

 

[nlloyd]

Ah, right. I didn't realize that. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[airgelaal]

Yes, it's telling that he was unable to produce a prescription after 2008, apart from an undated one just after the Olympics.

At the same time, the number of drugs that Valieva had taken in a two-year period (sixty) is astonishing and very concerning. That she took two drugs commonly taken along with TMZ, drugs that worked in a synergistic way with it, is also telling. When this fact is read alongside Russian literature reviews showing TMZ to be recommended for young athletes, I can see how the CAS came to the conclusion it did, and why the Russian Federation wanted to suppress the report.

She took ecdysterone (“natural anabolic agent”), BUT

She could not recall taking Ecdysterone. She could not explain why it was foundto be in her system by the Stockholm Laboratory.

 

[nlloyd]

TMZ is sold OTC in Russia. But Kamila's team could not produce evidence of a purchase.


I think most of those are nutrition supplements. I also think that list might have been an attempt to bury:

It also mentions Solovyov wasn't able to produce "medical records" which likely means no evidence of visits to he doctor. (No medical records were produced in relation to Mr Solovyov’s heart condition between a 2008 medical record and the undated medical record following the Beijing Olympics.)

 

[BlueRidge]

wow thanks for all the posts, this thread really went to town while I was at my office...

 

[sk9tingfan]

"...for the two year period 2020-21 the Athlete [Kamila Valieva] was given approximately 60 different medications and supplements."

https://twitter.com/LiftLoopLunge/status/1755285366024568986

 

[Vagabond]

“Yes we had lunch, Grandfather also often gave me something like apple pure or a berry sweet made from berries … condensed milk, bananas or some juice, and maybe … He also takes pills following the doctors’ recommendations and, probably, this pill got into a dessert, which he usually gives to me. Or, I saw a few times accidentally, that he crushed the pills with the knife and dissolves them in a glass, and took them. So I might have drunk from the same glass or there, at home, I might have eaten something from the same chopping board and so on.”

This one takes the cake.

 

[coppertop1]

She had no one looking out for her. She was failed by every adult in her life. What a disgrace.

 

[Vagabond]

What does it mean when they say the athlete gave no evidence of Solovyov's existence? We know he exists because he was deposed, as per one of the summaries above, and I assume it was she who mentioned he drove two hours every day to take her to a rink that was 200m for her apartment. He was certainly very invested in her.

I do think it is highly suspect that he refused to be interviewed by CAS or RUSADA. Perhaps he was afraid of legal action of some kind or other. I can't believe the Russian media will leave him be, however.

Also, if he was not related to Valieva, why did she refer to him as "grandfather." Is that a common practice in Russia, the same way children in other countries may refer to unrelated adults as "aunt."

Maybe the person who was deposed was someone brought in to play the part.

It wouldn't surprise me.

 

[airgelaal]

I am sure that the fact of doping in the sample is not accidental. I don’t know if Kamila herself knew, but she definitely trusted adults. I think I at least suspected it, but didn’t see it as a problem. I am sure that the adults were sure that there would be no problems with the sample. But since all human organisms are unique, something went wrong. However, I am sure that they were not very worried when they learned about the positive test in Beijing. Kamila is a minor and the test was not from the Olympic Games. They came up with some plausible version and believed that Kamila would get off with only a warning. But the case became too famous and everything went wrong. And then these adults did everything to remain above suspicion.
In general, the story is about the fact that there are no perfect crimes and self-confidence can be punished.

 

[airgelaal]

c) Despite the fact that he had a weak heart and had suffered four heart attacks, Mr Solovyov drove two hours every day to drive the Athlete to the Ice Palace which was 200m away from the Athlete’s apartment.

Sorry, but this is too funny

 

[Mugs]

Russia is the definition of "Give them an inch, they'll take a mile"

Years ago during the Cold War era when Russia was part of the Eastern Bloc/Iron Curtain, my father used to say that the Russian motto is:

"What's mine is mine. What's yours is negotiable."

 

[overedge]

“Yes we had lunch, Grandfather also often gave me something like apple pure or a berry sweet made from berries … condensed milk, bananas or some juice, and maybe … He also takes pills following the doctors’ recommendations and, probably, this pill got into a dessert, which he usually gives to me. Or, I saw a few times accidentally, that he crushed the pills with the knife and dissolves them in a glass, and took them. So I might have drunk from the same glass or there, at home, I might have eaten something from the same chopping board and so on.”

This one takes the cake.

Literally.

This is in no way a defense of this silliness from the Russians, but apparently it's not uncommon for elderly people who don't want to take medication to interpret "X times a day" as one in the morning, the other 15 minutes later, and you're done, get on with your day. So if any part of these stories is even remotely believable, it might be Grandpa chowing down the pills as he drove to the rink. The rest of it though is

 

[Karen-W]

“Yes we had lunch, Grandfather also often gave me something like apple pure or a berry sweet made from berries … condensed milk, bananas or some juice, and maybe … He also takes pills following the doctors’ recommendations and, probably, this pill got into a dessert, which he usually gives to me. Or, I saw a few times accidentally, that he crushed the pills with the knife and dissolves them in a glass, and took them. So I might have drunk from the same glass or there, at home, I might have eaten something from the same chopping board and so on.”

This one takes the cake.

Oh, I dunno... I thought this one from Dr Shvetskiy's interview during the RUSADA investigation is pretty rich...

The organizers of the Russian Championship “did not take the necessary measures … to restrict the access to the athletes` area (food court, dressing rooms). So, I consider, that someone might have contaminated the Kamila Valieva`s food, beverages and supplements with trimetazidine”.

Way to throw the FSFR under the bus even though they're your employer.

 

[Vagabond]

I have to say that the Russian Olympic Committee deserves a medal for its chutzpah, but not a medal for the Team Event.

 

[skategal]

I gotta say the excuses are more creative than I thought they were going to be.

I expected to see “She’s innocent because trust me bro…”

 

[Mafke]

North Koreans have total access to all Olympic Games

So russian athletic and political policies have led to the country having even less status than North effin' Korea!

Great job russians! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[caseyedwards]

So russian athletic and political policies have led to the country having even less status than North effin' Korea!

Great job russians! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!

That is correct! South Africa too.

 

[bladesofgorey]

She took ecdysterone (“natural anabolic agent”), BUT

Ecdysteroids as non-conventional anabolic agent: performance enhancement by ecdysterone supplementation in humans - PubMed

Recent studies suggest that the anabolic effect of ecdysterone, a naturally occurring steroid hormone claimed to enhance physical performance, is mediated by estrogen receptor (ER) binding. In comparison with the prohibited anabolic agents (e.g., metandienone and others), ecdysterone revealed to...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But skaters don't need steroids because strength isn't involved

 

[bladesofgorey]

Also maybe I'm talking out of my ass rn, but surely part of the reason that camp is such an eating disorder factory is that most steroids cause hunger and weight gain, and if you are already being deprived enough food with that also in the mix it's a wonder any of these children survive.