IOC to appeal lifting of Kamila Valieva's provisional suspension
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is appealing the lifting of a provisional suspension given to ROC figure skater Kamila Valieva on Feb. 8 by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency after Valieva was found to have tested positive for a banned substance, NBC Olympics reported, citing a statement released Thursday by the International Testing Agency.
The ITA disclosed that Valieva was provisionally suspended by RUSADA on Feb. 8 -- following the conclusion of the figure skating team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics -- after the WADA-accredited lab in Stockholm determined she had tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine in a sample taken on Dec. 25, during the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships.
However, Valieva's provisional suspension was lifted by RUSADA on the evening of Feb. 9 following a challenge by the athlete, per the ITA, allowing her continued participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics. RUSADA has not yet provided grounds for the lifting of the provisional suspension.
The IOC is appealing RUSADA's decision to lift the suspension, per the ITA, seeking a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport before the women's individual figure skating event at the Winter Olympics is scheduled to begin on Feb. 15. The ruling will determine Valieva's eligibility to continue competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.