“The first positive ray has appeared.” Goncharenko on RUSADA’s decision on Valieva

Figure skating coach Inna Goncharenko, in a conversation with , expressed the opinion that the decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to recognize the innocence of the figure skater Kamila Valieva is the first positive ray in the history of receiving Beijing Olympics gold medals by Russian figure skaters.

Earlier, RUSADA informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that it had made a decision in the case of the Russian figure skater. As stated in WADA’s statement, the court found that there was “no fault or negligence” in the Russian woman’s anti-doping rule violation, and that no sanction would be imposed on her.

“This is good news, the only good news in recent times related to this case. I think it was expected for all of us, but now we will wait for WADA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to decide. There is no need to rush, after all, we are all superstitious people, but such news can only rejoice. We will wait for other decisions.

– Does this decision of RUSADA give us more hope that our skaters end up with the gold medals of the Olympic Games?

– I think so, the odds have increased. The gold medals of the Olympics are of course the most important and fundamental, everyone is waiting for it. The first positive ray appeared, but, as we can see, not everything happens quickly, but we are waiting and hoping for a positive result for our athletes.

At the Beijing Olympics, Valieva, as part of the Russian team, won gold in team competitions. Before the personal tournament, it became known that the illegal drug trimetazidine was discovered during the figure skater’s doping test. The CAS allowed Valieva to participate in the individual competitions, where she finished fourth. The figure skater, who was 15 at the time of her positive doping test, is a protected person under WADA rules. In February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled that medals for the team tournament would not be awarded until Valieva’s case was closed. The American team took second place in the competition, the Japanese won bronze.

WADA demanded a four-year ban from Valieva for an anti-doping rule violation and the voiding of her results shown in competitions on December 25, 2021, including the 2022 European Championships and the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.