“It is difficult to predict whether Valieva’s lawyers will be able to reduce the period of disqualification” – Antseliovich

Sports lawyer Anna Antseliovich commented on the requirement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in relation to the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reported that WADA had requested a four-year ban on Valiyeva for an anti-doping rule violation and the annulment of her results shown in competitions since December 25, 2021, including the European Championships and the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

– WADA, for its part, demanded a standard period of disqualification. When they ask for less, we are talking about mitigation. It is, of course, much easier for an unprotected person to receive a reduction than for other athletes. Apparently, the World Anti-Doping Agency found no reason to apply the article due to the athlete’s minor fault or negligence on his part. It is difficult to predict whether Valieva’s lawyers will be able to reduce the period of disqualification. It all depends on what explanations the athlete herself and her representatives will present, ”RT Antseliovich quotes.

Valieva at the Beijing Olympics as part of the Russian team won gold in team competitions. Before the personal tournament, it became known that the illegal drug trimetazidine was found in the doping test of the figure skater. CAS allowed Valieva to the individual competitions, where she finished fourth. The awarding of the national teams following the results of the team tournament has not yet taken place.

A month before the Games, the figure skater won gold at the European Championships in Tallinn.