CAS rules to disqualify Russian figure skater Valieva for 4 years - court website

MOSCOW. Jan 29 (Interfax) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled to disqualify Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years for breaching anti-doping rules in 2021, a report published on the court's website on Monday said.

"A period of four (4) years ineligibility is imposed on Ms. Valieva, starting on December 25, 2021. All competitive results of Ms. Valieva from December 25, 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, profits, prizes, and appearance money," it said.

Valieva could not prove that she had not intentionally used doping, CAS said.

"The CAS Panel's decision is final and binding, with the exception of the parties' right to file an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days on limited grounds," it said.

The International Testing Agency said on February 11, 2022 that Valieva's sample, taken on December 25, 2021, contained traces of a banned substance. At that time, the athlete had already won the gold medal in the team event at the Beijing Olympics. CAS then cleared Valieva to compete in the women's single skating event at the Beijing Olympics, where she took fourth place. The gold medal in the team event remains with the Russian team, but it was decided not to hold an award ceremony in this discipline. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency's Disciplinary Committee, for its part, concluded that Valieva had not violated anti-doping rules.