An American journalist called Valieva’s four-year disqualification an unjustifiably harsh punishment.

American journalist Philip Hersh said that the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva He was punished “unreasonably harshly” by being suspended for four years for anti-doping rule violations.

On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules. The disqualification period begins on December 25, 2021. The ISU later announced that all of the athlete’s results from the date of sample collection had been canceled. This also led to a review of the results of the 2022 Olympics team tournament, where the Russian team won. First place is now awarded to the American team, the Japanese are second and the Russians will receive bronze.

“I think the punishment was unjustifiably harsh, given that it was the first offense committed by a 15-year-old girl at the time. » Cancel her results, deprive her of medals, but grant her disqualification for a shorter period.

The rules called for a three-month warning or disqualification. Even a two-year disqualification would have already ended, giving Valieva a chance to return to competition.

That said, I realize there is a lot we don’t know, including the rationale for the four-year ban. I hope we see the full transcript of the CAS case.

Kamila Valieva, who was 15 when all this happened, deserves sympathy, unless she knew in the first place that she had been given a banned substance, unlikely as that may be. Those around him should be investigated,” Hersh wrote on the social network.

Before the personal tournament at the Beijing Olympics, it became known that the banned drug trimetazidine was found during Valieva’s doping test conducted at the Russian Championship. The CAS allowed the Russian to participate in the individual competitions at the Games, where she finished fourth, but this result was also annulled. The athlete also lost the title of European champion, the title went to Anna Shcherbakova.