CAS found Valieva’s testimony honest, but insufficient for acquittal in doping case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said the panel of arbitrators found the Russian figure skater’s testimony fair Kamila Valieva however, insufficient to acquit him of doping charges.

Previously, the CAS disqualified Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules. The 17-year-old Russian’s suspension period begins on December 25, 2021, and her results have been canceled since that date.

— The athlete testified and appeared before the jury. It should be noted that the judges considered her to be an honest, forthright and credible witness, and that her claims of innocence were credible. It is obvious that she is an intelligent and eloquent young woman.

However, this is clearly not enough to exonerate us from all liability. She had to prove that she did not intentionally use illegal drugs. An athlete’s claim that she accidentally ingested a prohibited substance provides too weak a basis for concluding that the anti-doping rule violation was unintentional.

The panel decided that the athlete had not proven that the use of banned drugs was not intentional. According to the group, it is difficult to prove otherwise, and that is exactly what happened in this case. This is not to say that the judges did not conclude that Ms. Valieva was a fraudster, or that she had cheated on December 25, 2021 at the 2021 Russian Championships or at the Beijing Olympics, where she won gold, or any other tournament, says the reasoning of the CAS decision.

The CAS decision led to a review of the results of the team figure skating tournament at the 2022 Olympics, where the Russian team won. First place is now awarded to the American team, the Japanese are second and the Russians will receive bronze. Valieva is also deprived of gold at the 2022 European Championship.