The exit panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Beijing considered the “Valiyeva case” via videoconference all Sunday. The meeting ended only late at night, the verdict was announced on Monday morning. Three serious organizations — the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Skating Union — were denied an appeal that insisted on the renewal of the provisional suspension of the athlete. The provisional suspension was activated by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency immediately after receiving a notification from the Stockholm Anti-Doping Laboratory about the positive result of the athlete's doping test, taken on December 25, and canceled the next day after the athlete's appeal.
Eteri Tutberidze and Kamila Valieva during training in Beijing. Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS
The published news eclipsed all other Olympics, including the silver won by the Russian couple Victoria Sinitsyna — Nikita Katsalapov in ice dancing. Support for the CAS decision was expressed by all, as they used to write, «the world's progressive public», and the «reactionary» public, respectively, expressed deep disappointment with the outcome of the fateful meeting. Valieva will perform in women's singles and, most likely, if nothing extraordinary happens, she will win. But in this case, the IOC has already officially refused to award the winner and prize-winners of the singles tournament, as well as the winners of the team tournament in figure skating — clearly hinting that the results will definitely be revised. And even without this news, which greatly cooled the joyful ardor of the defenders of the “wonder girl”, it was clear that the meeting and the decision of the CAS were just the tip of the iceberg, and the main trial would take place after Beijing, and in it the chances for the success of the Valieva team much lower than they were in Beijing.
Welcoming the outcome of the case, one must clearly realize that the Russian side managed to win not because Valiyeva was found not guilty of using a prohibited substance. And because the 15-year-old athlete, firstly, is a “protected person”, to whom the generally accepted requirements are not fully applicable and taking into account the exclusivity of the case, and secondly,
The Stockholm laboratory itself gave rise to claims by unreasonably dragging out the deadlines for submitting the results of a positive doping test. Subsequent January doping tests — by the way, clean —
were received earlier than the ill-fated December one. References to the problems with the coronavirus among the laboratory staff that affected the timing, as well as the justification for the protracted process by the need to recheck a suspicious doping sample, really look untenable. It was the timing of the publication of the results — the day after the end of the team tournament that was victorious for the Russians — that gave defenders of various kinds and titles a reason to yell about conspiracies and political interference in sports.
Some defenders, however, would be better off keeping quiet and at least think before speaking. For example, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko could not find anything better than to announce that “behind all this, manipulations of the special services are beginning to be guessed – you know what.” If anyone thought that Valentina Ivanovna meant our special services, which, according to some versions, especially distinguished themselves in gold mining in Sochi-2014, then this is not so. On the other hand, there are also opinions that can be classified as extreme: with a call for the total removal of Russia as a country that did not draw conclusions after the grandiose doping scandals, and the sanctions that followed — according to radical critics, the sanctions are too soft and half-hearted.
In reality, we have a temporary tactical gain in the face of very unfavorable strategic prospects for the «Valiyeva case», which is far from over. Roughly speaking, the spirit of the law has triumphed in Beijing, and then its letter will rise to its full height. According to the letter, there is an anti-doping rule violation, which means that there must be a culprit or a convincing circumstance that allowed the violation of the law. As far as I understand, Valieva's side does not have such a circumstance now.
Much will depend on what tactics the lawyers of Eteri Tutberidze's team will choose after Beijing. So far, the chances of success seem small, even if a specific culprit is identified — which I highly doubt. So far, no one has been charged under the criminal article “for inducing doping”, and the concept of “confession” in the anti-doping culture of Russia is completely absent. In our country, even with absolute proof of this or that case, either the damned West, or WADA, or no one knows who is to blame. The career of an athlete who has been sanctioned is interrupted or ends, but the career of those who persuaded ends in the rarest cases.
Explanations that trimetazidine is just a means to strengthen the heart muscle against the background of excessive loads, and no doping, and figure skaters do not need doping at all, we will leave for internal use. There is a drug on the WADA stop list — you have to treat it that way. Meldonium is also “not doping”, but, apart from talk, what has been done to exclude it from the stop list by our scientists and functionaries? Nothing.
Of course, all this drama unfolding before our eyes is a blow to the school of Eteri Tutberidze, around which passions are running high even without the Olympic scandal.
One hundred percent «Valiyeva's case» will push the congress of the International Skating Union to raise the age limit is up to 16, and after that — up to 17 years, which will lead to very serious consequences, both private and general. Actually, with the total superiority of the «wonder girls» Tutberidze in the world women's single skating, you will almost certainly have to say goodbye, but these are just private consequences.