Kamila Valieva's elimination from the podium now positions the USA to claim gold, Japan to secure silver and Canada to take home bronze.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva faces a four-year ban from competition after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The decision comes after an investigation by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) initially cleared the 17-year-old skater of any wrongdoing related to a doping test ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The CAS ruling dictates that all of Valieva's competitive results from December 25, 2021 onwards are disqualified, including her historic performance in Beijing, where she became the first skater to perform a quadruple jump in Olympic competition.
The podium reshuffle now positions the United States to claim gold, Japan to secure silver and Canada to take home bronze.
The controversy surrounding Valieva's positive test for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but banned for athletes, raises questions about her treatment as a minor, testing procedures and the substance's impact on performance enhancement . Valieva attributed the drug's presence to “cutlery contamination” shared with his grandfather, who used trimetazidine after receiving an artificial heart.
WADA used the moment to highlight the seriousness of doping in young athletes, stating that “child doping is unforgivable” and urging governments to consider legislation that makes underage doping a criminal offence.
While the United States welcomed the CAS decision as a victory for clean athletes, the Kremlin called it a “politicized” move, noting that it reflects a broader attack on Russian sports.
The saga has taken an emotional toll on Valieva, who, under suspicion and attention, stumbled in the individual event in Beijing, falling from first to fourth and finishing in tears. The United States Anti-Doping Agency criticized the lengthy resolution process, stating that true justice had been “denied” by the two-year delay.
The doping scandal has led the International Skating Union (ISU) to raise the age limit for its senior category, citing concerns for the “physical, mental and emotional health” of competitors.
