MOSCOW, November 8. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin called unacceptable statements by State Duma deputy, three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina about the case of figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Earlier, Rodnina told Sport24 that the Russian side was to blame for Valieva’s doping case, which “gave unfriendly countries a chance to point out Russia’s mistakes.” The Olympic champion also said that during the consideration of the case it was worth “learning to lie better” about the figure skater’s doping.
“It’s strange to hear such statements from a State Duma deputy, a three-time Olympic champion. Such public assessments, based on one’s own conjectures, not supported by knowledge of the details of the process, are unacceptable. This is a violation of the ethics and culture of the sports community,” Telegram quotes Matytsin as saying. channel of the Russian Ministry of Sports.
“We must treat our victories, our coaches and athletes with care and respect, unite Russian society through sports, and not create provocative news feeds for circulation in the media,” the head of the department added.
The first hearings in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Valieva’s case took place from September 26 to 28. Based on their results, it was decided to postpone the consideration of the case until new hearings, which were scheduled for November 9-10.
Valiyeva passed a positive doping test on December 25, 2021, the day of the free program of the Russian Championship. This became known on February 8, 2022 — the day after the end of the team tournament of the Olympics, where the Russian team with Valieva won. Based on the results of the investigation, the independent disciplinary anti-doping committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) determined that there was no fault or negligence in Valieva’s actions, annulling her result at the Russian Championship, but leaving other results in force and not imposing a disqualification.