SKA hockey player Kamalov said he discussed Valieva’s disqualification with his wife

Hockey defender SKA Nikita Kamalov told that the family discussed the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict regarding the figure skater Kamila Valieva and support the Russian athlete.

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.

— When I saw the news, I first thought it was false. Then the information spread through all sources and the situation was discussed with my wife. It’s a shame for Camila. She reached such heights and now she has been disqualified. Russia and all of us, together with Kamila, will support her to go out on the ice even angrier.

— Your daughter practices figure skating, after this situation, are you considering stopping this sport which is so traumatic for the psyche?

— Many moments traumatize the psyche of children. Of course, little girls perform under pressure, this was the case for Valieva at the Olympics. I think Kamila will survive this situation and we must support her,” Kamalov told .

At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Valieva helped the Russian team win gold in the team competition, while the American team came in second. Before the personal tournament, it became known that trimetazidine, a banned drug, was found in Valieva’s doping sample from the Russian Championship. The CAS admitted the Russian to the individual competitions of the Games, where she took fourth place. There was no awards ceremony for the team tournament.