Winter Olympics: Decision on Russian skater Kamila Valieva’s doping case due on Monday

(BBC SPORT) A decision on Russian teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping case will be made on Monday.

The 15-year-old, who failed a drugs test in December, will have a hearing on Sunday at 12:30 GMT. A Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) panel will then decide whether she is able to compete again at Beijing 2022.

Valieva, who had the sample collected on 25 December, became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at an Olympics as her team won last Monday. An application was filed by the International Skating Union (ISU) against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (Rusada) decision to lift the provisional suspension of Valieva.

It was reported on Tuesday that Valieva, who has continued to practice ahead of her upcoming individual event, had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. That news came the day after she helped the Russian Olympic Committee team win gold – but before the medal ceremony had taken place.

The medals for the team event – in which the United States finished second, Japan third and Canada fourth – will not be awarded until the outcome of the hearing. Trimetazidine is used in the prevention of angina attacks but is on the banned list because it is classed as a cardiac metabolic modulator and has been proven to improve physical efficiency. Following the third appeal, made by the ISU, the case will now be taken to Cas to determine the final ruling. The panel will consist of president Fabio Iudica of Italy and arbitrators Jeffrey Benz, of the United States, and Slovenian Vesna Bergant Rakocevic. “The panel has issued procedural directions to the parties including the holding of a hearing by video conference on Sunday, 13 February at 8:30pm (Beijing time),” Cas said in a statement on Saturday. It added: “Following the hearing, the panel will deliberate and prepare the arbitral award containing its decision. It is anticipated that the decision will be notified to the parties in the afternoon of Monday, 14 February.”