Article originally published in the Montreal Gazette
By Robert Weiner, Ting Cui, and Gene Lambey
On January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) banned Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years due to a positive drug test for Trimetazidine. The controversy arose during the 2022 Olympics when Valieva's sample from the Russian Nationals Championships in December 2021 revealed the doping violation. The ban, effective retroactively from December 25, 2021, nullifies all results after that date.
The prolonged two-year case has deprived over a dozen athletes of their rightful medals in the figure skating-team event.
The CAS ruling tasks the International Skating Union (ISU) with deciding the results of the 2022 Olympic figure skating-team event in Beijing. The ISU's press release on January 30th ranked the U.S. first, Japan second, and Russia third, relegating Canada to fourth place. Skate Canada aims to appeal, citing ISU rule 353, which mandates that competitors below the disqualified athlete move up in their placement.
If the ISU follows their own rule, every woman who finished below Valieva in the Team Event would ascend one spot and earn an extra point for their team. Consequently, Canada would secure the Bronze medal.
US Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday that "It's nonsensical for Valieva to get four years and Russia keep Olympic bronze."
Canada's appeal is substantiated, yet the ISU has been silent. With the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships approaching in Montreal on March 18-24, Canadian athletes deserve justice.
The Valieva incident underscores the randomness of sports drug enforcement. Athletes traditionally succeed through hard work, willpower, and determination. The use of performance-enhancing drugs by nations disrespects the efforts of clean athletes who uphold the integrity of the Olympic movement.
Russia, in particular, has a notorious history of doping through its state-sponsored operation. The country alone has had more than 150 athletes caught doping at the Olympics and 48 medals stripped, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This is four times the number of the next highest country and more than 30% of the global total.
A 2016 NYT interview with Grigory Rodchenkov, former director of Russia's national anti-doping laboratory, exposed state involvement. Rodchenkov said he "developed a three-drug cocktail of banned substances that he mixed with liquor and provided to dozens of Russian athletes" which helped to facilitate the elaborate doping ploy at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Rodchenkov's account was consistent with reports published by WADA.
2015 and 2016 WADA reports revealed damning evidence of the state-sponsored operation featuring protocols for Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, failed tests, tampered urine bottles, destruction of samples, and instructions from Russian government accounts.
At just 15 years old, Valieva represented the ROC with banned substances in her system during the Beijing competition. Considering it's a state-sponsored doping program, it's evident she couldn't have acted alone. The adults around Valieva allowed and caused her to fall victim to a system of abuse.
Where are the bans for the coaches who conspired with it, the team doctors who supported it, and the government officials who condoned and urged it?
In a statement from WADA on January 29th, 2024, "The doping of children is unforgivable. Doctors, coaches or other support personnel who are found to have provided performance-enhancing substances to minors should face the full force of the World Anti-Doping Code."
It's ridiculous that Valieva alone faces punishment, while her teammates are not penalized. The 2022 Olympic Gold Medalist in the women's individual event, Anna Scherbakova, and Silver Medalist, Alexandra Trusova, were both students of coach Eteri Tutberidze like Valieva. There were surely other athletes who were doping and weren't caught.
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