The ROC called the CAS decision on Valieva a declaration of war on Russian sports

Russian Olympic Committee (OCD ) appealed the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to disqualify the skater Kamila Valieva declaration of war on Russian sports.

On Monday, the CAS decided to find Valieva guilty of violating anti-doping rules and disqualify her for 4 years from the date of the anti-doping test – December 25, 2021. The athlete should be stripped of all medals from this date, including gold at the 2022 Olympic Games in the team tournament and at the 2022 European Championships. The CAS decision can be appealed to the Swiss Federal Court within 30 days.

— The Russian Olympic Committee has carefully studied the press release issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne on the case of Kamila Valieva, to whom the most severe sanction was imposed in the form of disqualification for a period of 4 years.

We know that our athlete’s interests in this case were represented by qualified lawyers specializing in sports litigation, including anti-doping. We are confident that all available reasons and arguments have been brought to the attention of the CAS arbitrators in the most comprehensive manner possible.

Unfortunately, the CAS decision is negative, but we can no longer count on the objectivity and impartiality of this international structure, and we know this from the example of cases where the Republic of China itself is involved as as a party, including in the case of our dismissal by decision of the IOC Executive Committee.

For two years, in the public space, there has never been a meaningful answer, supported by facts, and not ridiculous answers, to the question that was initially the subject of great doubt – why the anti-doping test of Valieva carried out in December 2021 was kept for a month. and a half in a Swedish laboratory, contrary to all set deadlines.

Of course, one can believe it to be a coincidence when the test result was made public immediately after the end of the victorious team figure skating tournament in Russia. Coincidentally, the ISU will make the decision to approve the medals for the Olympic tournament on February 7, the 10th anniversary of the Sochi Games. In fact, war has been declared on Russian sports and, as we see, all means are good,” the ROC statement said.

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.

In January 2023, the anti-doping disciplinary committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (DAK RUSADA) ruled that although Valieva committed an anti-doping rule violation, she bore “no fault or negligence”. The athlete avoided sanctions, except for the cancellation of his results on the date of sample collection – December 25, 2021. Subsequently, RUSADA, ISU and WADA filed appeals with the CAS, which were grouped into a single procedure.