Editorial
Olympic Russian skater Kamila Valieva, aged 15, ‘failed a drug test’ before the team competition, according to Inside the Games and Russian newspapers.
The medal ceremony has reportedly been delayed due to an alleged ‘legal issue’ and a statement has been released by the International Testing Agency (ITA).
It reads: “Any announcement connected to these events would always be publicly issued on the ITA’s website and not commented on otherwise.
Find out more about the Russian skater in the clip below…
“No such announcement has been published to date.”
Due to her age, Valieva will be deemed a ‘Protected Person’ by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
This means that in ‘certain circumstances,’ the athlete will be treated ‘differently’ as they ‘may not possess the mental capacity to understand and appreciate the prohibitions against conduct contained in the Code’.
International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams reportedly said that as ‘legal implications are involved, I can’t talk very much about it at this stage’.
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According to two of the Russian newspapers, it’s believed that the drug was identified as trimetazidine, which is commonly used as a treatment for chest pains.
Reportedly, the drug works by increasing the blood flow to the heart and can limit rapid swings in blood pressure.
Currently, it isn’t approved for use in the US. As of 2014, it’s been on the WADA list.
On February 7, Valieva became the first woman to land a quad jump at the Olympics. She also became the first-ever woman to land the jump twice.
The 15-year-old has garnered attention around the world for her skating skills and social media presence. She’s even appeared in the Russian edition of Vogue magazine.
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