Investigation into Valieva case could end in August, says RUSADA chief

The director general of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), Veronika Loginova, explained to the evolution of the procedure against the figure skater. Kamila Valieva and his surroundings.

Valieva won the 2022 Olympics gold medal as part of the Russian team following the results of the team tournament. During the Games it became known about the December positive doping test of an athlete from the Russian championship. The IOC has decided not to reward the winners of the contest pending an investigation. Valieva was admitted to the personal figure skating tournament, where she finished fourth.

— The investigation is conducted in strict compliance with applicable standards. Perhaps the most important of these is confidentiality. We are not allowed to comment on intermediate results, especially when it comes to a protected person. Let’s just say that the investigation is carried out carefully, we try to complete it as soon as possible, but the need to take into account all the nuances takes time.

RUSADA has repeatedly asked the media and other public resources not to disseminate unverified information so as not to harm the investigation and the athlete. Everything that is verified is published on our website. A message will appear there as soon as the survey is complete.

Is there a deadline for this issue?

– The month of August is mentioned in the press, we strive to meet these deadlines. During the investigation, a large number of people are questioned, new circumstances are revealed that require verification, so we can finish later. There is no official deadline. The main thing for us is to establish the truth.

Does the survey include only inquiries or other actions?

“I have no right to reveal our methods. If you want to know which tools can be used, they are described in the international standard for testing and investigation. These are surveys, interviews, finding information in available sources, using information available to anti-doping organizations, for example, data from the biological passport. It is recommended to use anything that can lead to the establishment of the truth. But the specific details are not subject to premature publicity.

– It is known that the study of the Valieva sample was delayed by the Swedish laboratory. For this reason, the scandal happened during the Olympics, and not before. Will the Swedes be punished? And would the “urgent” mark on the sample sent by the Russian side save the day?

– The sample was taken in December, it was not necessary to assign an emergency category. Given the recommended 20 days for the study, we adjusted in time for Beijing. They succeeded even taking into account the holidays, since RUSADA did its part of the job perfectly.

After the investigation is completed, I believe we will make a number of recommendations and appeals on this matter. The Swedes were prevented by the coronavirus, they didn’t have enough workers. But this should not harm the athlete and create an increased international response.