The NOC of Canada released a statement on the Valieva case

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Canada released a statement regarding the disqualification of the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva calling the process itself important from the point of view of the fight for clean sport.

On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided to find Valieva guilty of violating anti-doping rules and disqualify her for 4 years from the date of collection of the doping sample – December 25, 2021. The athlete should be stripped of all medals from that date, including gold at the 2022 Olympic Games in the team tournament and at the 2022 European Championships. The CAS decision may be challenged before the Swiss Federal Court in a period of 30 days.

— The NOC of Canada welcomes the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to annul the result of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva at the Beijing Olympic Games. This decision demonstrates the importance of strong anti-doping measures in sport. We recognize that this is another important opportunity in the fight for clean sport and support of the Olympic values.

We believe today’s decision is an important step in this decades-long case. “We once again congratulate the affected Team Canada athletes for their incredible performances two years ago, and we also recognize the strength of character they have demonstrated during this long process,” said the journalist from CNO, Deven Heroux, in a press release on social networks.

Valieva at the Beijing Olympics 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. The CAS allowed the Russian to participate in the individual competitions at the Games, where she finished fourth.

The award ceremony for the winners of the team tournament has not yet taken place. The Canadian team took fourth place in the Olympic team tournament. If the Russian team is deprived of gold medals, the Canadians will receive bronze.