Russian Figure Skater tests positive for drugs - delays ceremony for team medals

[SkateGuard]

This reminds of Judge Judy

Judge Judy would've been yelling HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOO! THAT'S BALONEY! the second Grandpa water was brought up.

 

[On My Own]

See now things like that are what made me think it's comedy!

 

[airgelaal]

Related or not?

Стало известно о нарушении при информировании Валиевой о допинг-пробе

Информирование российской фигуристки Камилы Валиевой о положительной допинг-пробе произошло с процессуальным нарушением, сообщил РИА Новости источник, знакомый... РИА Новости Спорт, 28.09.2023

rsport.ria.ru

MOSCOW, September 28 - RIA Novosti, Vlad Zhukov. Informing Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva about a positive doping test occurred with a procedural violation, a source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti.
Valieva's doping test, taken during the Russian Championship in December 2021, gave a positive result for trimetazidine. This information became known after the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing , where Valieva won a gold medal as part of the Russian team. She was able to compete in the individual tournament, where she finished fourth, but her case for a potential anti-doping rule violation is currently pending before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“Valieva did not receive notification of a positive doping test from WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). The notification came first to the ISU (International Skating Union) and the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and only after that to (Valieva’s coach) Eteri Tutberidze. This is a procedural matter. violation," the source said.

I didn’t understand, only the coach was informed, but not Kamila?

 

[Trusova]

On January 13, 2023, RUSADA finally renders a verdict deciding to strip Valieva of her gold medal and title from the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Nationals due to the positive test but refused to strip her of her gold medal in the Olympic team event.
In response, WADA pressed its request for CAS to review this case adding the RUSADA decision, which is taking place now.

Valieva's doping test, taken during the Russian Championship in December 2021, rendered a positive result for trimetazidine, which became known after the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Valieva was already punished for the positive test as she lost her gold medal and title from the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Nationals. Valieva was clean during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. The case could have been clear-cut, if she had tested positive for trimetazidine in Beijing.

 

[VGThuy]

It’s incredibly difficult to be a fan of this sport. Which is why I only pop in a few times a year to see what’s up. My heart breaks - once again - for the athletes ? Eventually, I won't have a heart left to break.

To be fair, the ISU is on WADA’s side pushing for Valieva’s suspension and to strike her scores from the team competition, and to disqualify the Russian team.

 

[Karen-W]

Valieva's doping test, taken during the Russian Championship in December 2021, gave a positive result for trimetazidine, which became known after the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Valieva was already punished for the positive test as she lost her gold medal and title from the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Nationals. Valieva was clean during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. The case could have been clear-cut, if she had tested positive for trimetazidine in Beijing.

Except that testing positive for a banned drug usually comes with a far longer period of suspension than merely one day.

We have no idea if she was clean during the Olympics. Even if she had tested positive, since she was a "protected person" at that time, her case would have been handled without public disclosure, so we cannot assume that she was clean.

 

[On My Own]

We have no idea if she was clean during the Olympics. Even if she had tested positive, since she was a "protected person" at that time, her case would have been handled without public disclosure, so we cannot assume that she was clean.

Why do you think it wouldn't have surfaced by now if she had doped for the Olympics as well?

 

[tony]

Whatever the case with the Olympics and her drug testing status there, it doesn't matter that the positive test happened at Russian Nationals. She continued her season as normal without any problems, regardless of the Nationals title being taken away.

I will remind people that Berezhnaya was banned for three months, had her Europeans title taken away, and missed out on Worlds, because of cough medicine. Laura Barquero has been sitting out for how long now over her incident?

Skaters don't ever and haven't ever gotten a slap on the wrist and had a competition spanning three days be their only punishment.

 

[Karen-W]

Why do you think it wouldn't have surfaced by now if she had doped for the Olympics as well?

Because Russia wants to keep that gold medal at all costs and they'd certainly have kept it quiet if she tested positive again. I cannot see how WADA, the IOC or ISU would want that sort of information to leak either, as it would call into serious question any disciplinary action taken and her rights to due process.

 

[On My Own]

Because Russia wants to keep that gold medal at all costs and they'd certainly have kept it quiet if she tested positive again. I cannot see how WADA, the IOC or ISU would want that sort of information to leak either, as it would call into serious question any disciplinary action taken and her rights to due process.

Who leaked her status during the Olympics?

 

[VGThuy]

Valieva's doping test, taken during the Russian Championship in December 2021, rendered a positive result for trimetazidine, which became known after the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. Valieva was already punished for the positive test as she lost her gold medal and title from the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Nationals. Valieva was clean during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. The case could have been clear-cut, if she had tested positive for trimetazidine in Beijing.

Like I said in the same post you quoted:

Thus far, no action by any official or state entity has been taken against Valieva as a result of the positive urine sample other than the January 13, 2023 RUSADA ruling. She was affected by the ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes due to the invasion of Ukraine, but that is unrelated to this issue, and she has been freely been able to compete or skate within Russian borders.

I only brought up this issue because the fear that Valieva could appeal a "negative" decision by CAS based on her due process rights violation, but the decision was rendered nearly four months after Russia stopped being a "high performing member" of the European Convention for Human Rights, and, thus, wouldn't have standing to bring forth a case with the European Court for Human Rights, and even if RUSADA had rendered that decision on or before September 16, 2022, her claim could only be brought up against RUSADA and their decision, not CAS's decision which will be rendered more than a year after European Court of Human Rights would have had jurisdiction over the case.

The issue at-hand is that WADA is appealing the light punishment RUSADA issued against Valieva in their January 13, 2023 based on the procedures they have laid out for proper punishments for Valieva's violation.

 

[Karen-W]

Who leaked her status during the Olympics?

Well, the only reason anything leaked is because the IOC delayed the medal ceremony and there were reporters on the ground, digging into it. And given that RUSADA/the ROC have tried to float the idea that because the information about the positive test was leaked and her status as a "protected person" violated as a result of that leak, I cannot imagine that the IOC/ISU/WADA would do anything to jeopardize any action over a later, hypothetical positive doping test.

 

[airgelaal]

Whatever the case with the Olympics and her drug testing status there, it doesn't matter that the positive test happened at Russian Nationals. She continued her season as normal without any problems, regardless of the Nationals title being taken away.

I will remind people that Berezhnaya was banned for three months, had her Europeans title taken away, and missed out on Worlds, because of cough medicine. Laura Barquero has been sitting out for how long now over her incident?

Skaters don't ever and haven't ever gotten a slap on the wrist and had a competition spanning three days be their only punishment.

By the way, her results have not been disqualified yet. This means there is still no decision from WADA.

http://www.isuresults.com/events/owg2022_Pairs.htm

 

[On My Own]

Well, the only reason anything leaked is because the IOC delayed the medal ceremony and there were reporters on the ground, digging into it.

Right, but then I find it reasonable to assume there wasn't a positive test during the Olympics, because these same reporters would have been all over it...

 

[Karen-W]

Right, but then I find it reasonable to assume there wasn't a positive test during the Olympics, because these same reporters would have been all over it...

And I don't think it's reasonable to make that assumption. The only reason they knew was because of the delayed medal ceremony and the IOC said they wouldn't hold the women's medal ceremony if Valieva medaled after that CAS Arbitration panel allowed her to compete in the Women's event. There wouldn't have been any reason for the reporters to get any whiff of something like that happening.

 

[VGThuy]

Who leaked her status during the Olympics?

Wasn't it somebody from the Russian delegation who was ultimately responsible for the leak?

First, there was that the big hold up of the medal ceremony, which obviously would have inspired a ton of questions from the media and other athletes and their delegations.

Once the drug violation issue was brought up and attributed to a member of the Russian team (thanks to somebody in or close to Team Russia), people realized the reason the identity of the athlete wasn't allowed to be revealed as it normally would have was because that athlete must have had some sort of heightened right to privacy due to a protected status, aka being a minor. The only minor from Russia who competed in the team event was... it was simple deduction, which was later confirmed after a day or so of speculation.

Now, there has never been any sort of smoking gun or piece of evidence that anybody from the IOC, ISU, or WADA breached their duty of confidentiality. However, this whole process revealed how existing procedures were not equipped to deal with this particular issue where there is a standard procedure of delaying the awarding of medals when a prospective medalist had tested positive for a banned substance for a drug test administered prior to the competition but before the medal ceremony AND where that athlete who had tested positive is a minor who has "protected status" and is the only "minor" athlete with that protected status involved in the controversy.

That being said, anybody who tried to argue that the existing process violated Valieva's privacy rights despite no evidence showing that anybody from WADA or the ISU actively breached their duty to keep her identity private but, rather, their procedures being ill-equipped to protect the protected minor's identity from being revealed due to the public having brains and ability to figure things out on their own, may have an argument, but I doubt it's one that would affect what punishment she should receive based on WADA guidelines for having a positive test result. It would be a different claim for harm/damages.

 

[On My Own]

And I don't think it's reasonable to make that assumption. The only reason they knew was because of the delayed medal ceremony and the IOC said they wouldn't hold the women's medal ceremony if Valieva medaled after that CAS Arbitration panel allowed her to compete in the Women's event. There wouldn't have been any reason for the reporters to get any whiff of something like that happening.

But if she had tested positive during the Olympics, why would the IOC or anyone else involved let her compete at all? The reporters would have dug into after that. I thought the individual event only happened for her at all because the test wasn't during the Olympics and they didn't know what to do because she was protected.

 

[Sylvia]

Feb 9th (Beijing time) - FIRST report surfaces that there is a positive doping test and absolutely NO hint in that first report that it involved a protected person - https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1119022/beijing-2022-figure-skating-medal-delay
...
Feb 9th - Christine Brennan of USA Today is the first English-language press to identify Valieva "Russian newspaper RBC reported that Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication that has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2014 because it can improve endurance and blood flow." - https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-medals-delayed-russian-drug-test/6717526001/

From Karen's detailed timeline: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...y-for-team-medals.109402/page-62#post-6337494

 

[On My Own]

Now, there has never been any sort of smoking gun or piece of evidence that anybody from the IOC, ISU, or WADA breached their duty of confidentiality. However, this whole process revealed how existing procedures were not equipped to deal with this particular issue where there is a standard procedure of delaying the awarding of medals when a prospective medalist had tested positive for a banned substance for a drug test administered prior to the competition but before the medal ceremony AND where that athlete who had tested positive is a minor who has "protected status" and is the only "minor" athlete with that protected status.

On a similar note, then, if Valieva had tested positive during the Olympics, and therefore rightly not been allowed to compete at all... why would it matter if she was "protected"? We would have known, or the reporters would have made it known. Or are some here assuming that she would have been allowed to compete despite testing positive simply because she was protected. Which is why I think it's correct to assume she hadn't doped during the Olympics. Assuming fair procedures would be followed in such a case anyway.

 

[VGThuy]

But if she had tested positive during the Olympics, why would the IOC or anyone else involved let her compete at all? The reporters would have dug into after that. I thought the individual event only happened for her at all because the test wasn't during the Olympics and they didn't know what to do because she was protected.

They knew what to do, but CAS went in a different direction. WADA argued that during the emergent hearing, CAS absolutely misapplied their pretty explicit standards on the type of action that should take place when a positive drug test is revealed in the middle of the Olympics, even when the result was from a minor athlete.

 

[Vagabond]

Because Russia wants to keep that gold medal at all costs and they'd certainly have kept it quiet if she tested positive again. I cannot see how WADA, the IOC or ISU would want that sort of information to leak either, as it would call into serious question any disciplinary action taken and her rights to due process.

It's not just that medal. Everything points to a cosy, cooperative arrangement between RUSADA, the FSFR, the ROC. and Eteri Tutberidze that amounts to state-sponsored doping, which, this time around, might get Russia booted out of the Olympics indefinitely.

 

[VGThuy]

On a similar note, then, if Valieva had tested positive during the Olympics, and therefore rightly not been allowed to compete at all... why would it matter if she was "protected"? Or are some here assuming that she would have been allowed to compete despite testing positive. Which is why I think it's correct to assume she hadn't doped during the Olympics. Assuming fair procedures would be followed in such a case anyway.

I don't believe she tested positive at the Olympics either, nor is that an issue being brought up with CAS by any of the appealing organizations. That being said, outside of formal procedures responsible for determining fault and punishment, regular people don't have to believe that she wasn't still doping. Given the history of Russia and doping and methods used to "beat" tests, it's not like their skepticism over whether Russian athletes were actually clean is without merit. But that's personal opinion, and you can't really argue against that even with all the empirical evidence in the world that this positive test was just a onetime mistake thanks to Grandpa's medication contaminating or being accidentally mixed in with whatever allowable substances she was taking.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

which, this time around, might get Russia booted out of the Olympics indefinitely.

Bet it doesn’t.

 

[Mafke]

could be something that any competent lawyer would have anticipated

Not if the intention is to drag things out until everyone's exhausted and the russians get their way despite their flagrant cheating...

I really never want to see another russian figure skater... they've done massive damage to the discipline....

 

[thvu]

Bet it doesn’t.

Yep. They've gotten away with it for well over a decade with no real consequences. And the IOC is still trying to find a politically palatable way to get Russians back in international sport.

 

[Sylvia]

By the way, her [Barquero/Zandron's] results have not been disqualified yet. This means there is still no decision from WADA.

http://www.isuresults.com/events/owg2022_Pairs.htm

Laura Barquero last posted publicly about her situation back on April 11, 2023: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...-olympics-pairs-sp.109467/page-4#post-6422145

Laura's sad post (no news) 8 months later: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq5_V-JtBLO/

Machine translation:
Trying to stay strong, thinking about all the good things I have in this life.
I have better days and worse days but that pain is always there and it doesn't go away.
I couldn't say goodbye to that feeling, that feeling I miss so much, the cold wind on my face, to feel the movements flowing, to close my eyes and end up with a huge smile on my face.
I've been washed away by a hurricane and I'm still spinning.
Marco, my family, my friends, are always there, helping and supporting me, suffering and living this nightmare just like me. Everyone tells me: you can take advantage of doing other things, to have a different life, of a "normal person"... but they don't understand that since I was little I learned to fly on ice better than to walk, that ice is my home and as much as I want I can't part with it.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a fighter, that nothing and no one will be able to cut these wings.
LBJ?

Laura currently posts regular fitness/Pilates clips in her Instagram stories and uses her social media to show that she is trying to stay positive and live her life as best she can.

 

[On My Own]

But that's personal opinion, and you can't really argue against that even with all the empirical evidence in the world that this positive test was just a onetime mistake thanks to Grandpa's medication contaminating or being accidentally mixed in with whatever allowable substances she was taking.

I think with Russians it's likely they dope during the Olympic season and definitely the other seasons, and off-seasons, and have an efficient way of flushing it out before competition, or before their scheduled visits. During the Olympics (the ones not held in Russia anyway), I would assume they're careful under heightened scrutiny though. That's my personal assumption. I'm not saying Valieva only ever doped once in her life. I'm just saying, it's very likely she was clean during the Olympics, because we really would have known otherwise.

 

[ninjapirate]

Who leaked her status during the Olympics?

I'm pretty sure it was someone from the IOC to InsideTheGames.biz. I don't think that's a big deal though. It was inevitable that her status was going to be made public.

What I consider a big deal is that the audio from the hearing with the Russian Disciplinary Anti-Doping Commission was leaked to a Russian opposition outfit financed by Mikhail Khodorkovsky(fun fact, Eteri used to like him on facebook). Without this article nobody would know about the "grandfather's glass" defense.

Камилу Валиеву решили не отстранять от Олимпийских игр

Мы узнали, как ее защита объясняла допинг в пробе

dossier.center

I find it baffling why nobody(in Russia) talks about this. I find it odd how it seems nobody has tried to track down who leaked the audio. Is it just taboo to talk about the Dossier Center in any capacity? The leak had to have come from someone at RUSADA unless the audio was transferred to WADA,ISU,IOC etc for the CAS hearing and then leaked.

I have absolutely zero indication for who could be the leaker. But there was a RUSADA advisory board member who resigned within a week of the Ukraine war starting that I could easily see leaking the audio if he had access to it.

Independent Iljukov quits RUSADA Supervisory Board over Russian invasion of Ukraine
"Just want to inform you that I decided to resign from RUSADA Asvisory Board where I served (on WADA recommendation) as an independant member since 2020. My decision is partially dictated by personal reasons but I cannot deny that situation in Ukraine affected my decision."

 

[Vagabond]

Bet it doesn’t.

Whether it does or doesn't, Russia wants to avoid any chance of its happening. Losing the right to participate in the Olympics matters much more to Russia than losing one dopey gold medal

 

[caseyedwards]

Russia already hasn’t been at 3 Olympic Games.