An Olympic "Tradition" ⛸

Day 8: Another Russian doping scandal threatens the Games

Feb 11, 2022

Once again, a doping scandal involving a Russian athlete has marred the Games and threatens to overshadow the athletic competitions. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s Russian Doping Scandal™.

Figure Skater Kamila Valieva, who led Russia1 to Gold in the Team Event, tested positive for a banned substance (trimetazidine). The timeline of events, and the fact that Valieva is a minor, have complicated this case and created the air of scandal.

Timeline

December 25 - Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) collects a sample from Valieva at Russian National Championships.

February 6-7 - Valieva competes in, and wins, Figure Skating Team Event

February 8 - Swedish lab reports Valieva’s sample from December tested positive for a banned substance. She is provisionally suspended by RUSADA, making her ineligible to compete, train, or participate in any Olympic activities.

February 9 - Valieva challenges her provisional suspension with RUSADA, and it is lifted that evening.

February 11 - TODAY. The International Testing Agency (ITA) finally issues a clarifying statement.

February 15 - Women’s Single Figure Skating Event

The Team Event took place after the positive sample was taken, but before the results were known. Then the provisional suspension - which was retroactive and invalidated the Team Event Gold Medal - was almost immediately lifted for as yet unknown reasons. All of this happened behind closed doors, with officials only saying they couldn’t say anything. Then finally today’s much delayed ITA statement. But why the delay?

Kamila Valieva is only 15

Most of what we’ve heard up until now has been leaks and rumors, primarily spinning out from the delayed Team Event medal ceremony (they only got the Bing Dwen Dwen dolls). The reason for the lack of official statement, finally revealed in today’s official statement, is Valieva’s age. The World Anti-Doping Code provides special privacy protections for minors under 16; they are not subject to mandatory public reporting of their names and cases - “public disclosure must be proportionate to the facts and circumstances of the case.” And now that this case has been seized in by the world’s press (to whom the ITA is not kind), ‘proportionate public disclosure’ means clarifying the whole mess. Better late than never.

What’s happens now?

The IOC will now exercise its right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The Court has set up a special tribunal in the Beijing bubble specifically to adjudicate Olympics doping cases. They can decide urgent cases within 24 hours - presumably this qualifies as such.

So stay tuned for the next few days as this case is unfortunately likely to dominate Olympics news leading up to the February 15 Women’s Figure Skating event.