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Embattled teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will compete in the women’s free skate Thursday night at the Winter Olympics as she hopes for another potential medal in the midst of a doping scandal.
If Valieva finishes in the top three of the competition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has insisted there will be no flower ceremony or medal ceremony in case the organization has to eventually strip her of any potential medal she may win.
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Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, trains at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
"There will be an asterisk against the results, because they will be preliminary obviously pending the investigation," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. "Would we prefer not to have all this going on? Absolutely."
Valieva was ruled eligible to compete in this week’s women’s event by the Court of Arbitration for Sport while her case went through the anti-doping system. Valieva was leading the women’s contest after the short program.
RUSSIAN OLYMPIC SKATER KAMILA VALIEVA TESTED POSITIVE FOR THREE HEART DRUGS: REPORTS
Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, competes in the women's short program during the figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The 15-year-old figure skater tested positive for three different substances meant to improve heart function in a sample taken before her arrival to Beijing, according to The New York Times. Documents reviewed by paper revealed that the lab in Stockholm that first detected the presence of trimetazidine in her sample taken on Dec. 25 at the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia, also showed evidence of two other substances not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
According to a brief filed by the WADA, Valieva listed the substances on a doping control form: L-carnitine and Hypoxen.
Two sources with knowledge of the briefing who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said the WADA argued that the presence of both substances undercuts Valieva’s argument that the banned drug entered her system accidentally.
Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee,warms up before the women's short program during the figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
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An IOC official said Tuesday that during her hearing where she was eventually cleared to compete, Valieva said the banned substance may have been the result of contamination with medication her grandfather took regularly.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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