Athletistic/Figure skating. Former Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to disqualify figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years, calling it too harsh and bloodthirsty.

On Monday, the CAS announced Valieva’s disqualification for anti-doping rule violations, noting that the athlete had not provided convincing evidence that the violation was unintentional. The disqualification began on December 25, 2021 and Valieva’s results from that date were voided. It also resulted in a review of the results of the team competition at the 2022 Olympics, where Russia lost first place.

“I think the decision regarding Valieva is too harsh, even bloodthirsty. The court did not take into account any mitigating circumstances of her situation. Firstly, she is an underage athlete, and secondly, the use of any drugs in this sport is generally prohibited. Of course, the very publication of the results raises questions, since the decision was expected before the start of the Olympic Games. Usually, such decisions are made much earlier,” Kolobkov said in an interview with RT.

  • Vasiliev: “The drug discovered at Valieva does not bring any benefit in figure skating”


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