Russian national team doctor Shvetsky explained how trimetazidine could enter Valieva’s body

Russian national figure skating team doctor Philip Shvetsky said “Literary Journal” that the banned substance trimetazidine could have entered the body of the figure skater Kamila Valieva of someone from the inner circle, however, it is impossible to speak with absolute certainty.

– How did the trimetazidine get into Valieva’s body?

– Our version, which we presented to the CAS during the Olympics, is from a person in the inner circle who could take a complex containing trimetazidine. It is clear to any expert that in the case of Valieva one can only speak of one accidental blow. I am grateful to the headquarters of the Sports Medicine Center of the FMBA of Russia and the Olympic Committee of the Russian Federation at the Olympic Games for their help in substantiating this version.

How could this happen physically? Drank water from the same glass with a relative? With a kiss, a handshake?

– If we knew the mechanism, our positions in court would be much stronger. But, unfortunately, we don’t know. And in this case, it is not even the mechanism that is important, but the reinforced concrete argument – it is not a systemic application, ”explained Shvetsky.

Valieva won gold at the 2022 Olympics in the figure skating team tournament. After that, it became known that the banned substance trimetazidine was found in the doping sample of a 15-year-old athlete taken during the Russian championship in December. As a result, Valieva was allowed to participate in the personal tournament, where she was considered the favorite, and she took 4th place. The investigation against Valieva continues.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General Olivier Niggli said the process of investigating the Valieva case may take longer than initially anticipated.

In May, RUSADA CEO Veronika Loginova told that the agency aimed to complete the Valieva investigation by August.