“I would like to know the truth. Who made sure we were deprived of Olympic gold? — Dobrovinsky on the Valieva affair

Lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky, in a conversation with , said that based on the results of the consideration of the case of figure skater Kamila Valieva by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), he would like to know the truth – which did so so that the Russian team risks losing gold at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

On Tuesday, the CAS began hearings into Valieva’s doping case. The appeals of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the International Skating Union (ISU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in the case of athlete were previously grouped into one procedure. Valieva, 17, is expected to participate in the hearing via video link.

— Claims that Valieva can be protected on the basis that she was 15 years old at the time of the anti-doping rule violation are an illusion. Nothing like this can happen. Under the current WADA code, the prosecution rightly imposes a four-year suspension on him.

— Valieva’s defense is that taking the banned drug was unintentional. Is it really possible to prove it?

– Almost impossible. No one was near Valieva at the time when she could involuntarily swallow or eat something. How to prove it?

— So you think that Valieva will not be able to escape punishment?

– Whether there will be a four-year or two-year disqualification – I don’t know. I think unfortunately there will be a disqualification. Another thing, I would like to know who is the person who did this “unintentional thing” to him? How did it happen? This must be understood for the future of our athletes. Who made sure that we were deprived of the Olympic gold medal? It’s interesting. I would like to know the truth. Because there is another suspicion: it was done on purpose,” Dobrovinsky told .

Valieva at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing helped the Russian team win gold in the team competition. Before the personal tournament, it became known that the banned drug trimetazidine was found during the doping test of the figure skater of the Russian championship. In this regard, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared the results of the Olympic team tournament preliminary and postponed the award ceremony to the winners of the competition until the investigation into the matter is completed. The CAS admitted the Russian to the individual competitions of the Games, where she took fourth place.

In January, it became known that the anti-doping disciplinary committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (DAK RUSADA) canceled Valieva’s result at the 2022 Russian Championship and concluded that the skater committed a violation of anti-doping rules, but it was “not her fault or negligence. Subsequently, RUSADA, WADA and ISU appealed the decision of RUSADA’s CAD to CAS. WADA demands that the Russian be suspended for four years.