MOSCOW, November 11, Oleg Bogatov. Former head of the Moscow Center sports and education «SAMBO-70» Renat Laishev said that Kamila Valieva deservedly became the winner of the 2022 Olympics, but then the situation was distorted and it became difficult to predict the outcome of the figure skater's case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), since there is a noticeable bias in all sports to the Russians.
Valieva trains at the Khrustalny ice skating rink, which is part of the organization. On Friday, information was published on the CAS website that the panel of arbitrators will make a decision on Valieva’s doping case in January 2024. The first hearings took place in Lausanne on September 26-28. The panel heard testimony from the parties, experts and witnesses. Following the meetings, the arbitrators decided to prepare additional documentation, which became the reason for postponing the hearings to November 9-10. On Friday, CAS announced the conclusion of the hearing.
“I believe that Kamila Valieva won fairly at the Olympic Games in Beijing and she is the best figure skater in the world. Like (winner of the Games in single skating) Anna Shcherbakova. But only then they took everything and distorted it — according to current times and conditions. It’s difficult to say what the outcome of the case will be, today there is deception and disgrace. Lawlessness towards us is visible in all sports,» Laishev said, assessing the situation.
Valieva passed a positive doping test on December 25, 2021, on 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.
After an investigation, the disciplinary anti-doping committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) found that there was no guilt or negligence and did not punish the athlete, but annulled her result at the Russian Championship. The World Anti-Doping Agency referred Valieva's case to CAS, with the International Skating Union and RUSADA joining as parties. Due to the doping case, the International Olympic Committee decided not to reward the medalists of the team figure skating tournament at the 2022 Games until a verdict is rendered.