Kamila Valieva: What We Know and Don’t Know About About Her Case
What punishment could Valieva receive?
If she is ruled ineligible, even weeks or months from now, she or the Russian team could be stripped of their gold medals from the team event. And if she wins a medal in women’s singles, that could be revoked, too. The International Olympic Committee said Monday that no medals will be given in events in Beijing in which Valieva has won or claimed a spot on the podium, at least until the case is resolved.
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Because she is younger than 16, Valieva is considered a “protected person” by the World Anti-Doping Agency and therefore could receive a lesser punishment than an adult who could receive a maximum two-year suspension. If she can show her use of the drug was unintentional, she could receive only a reprimand, and be able to keep her medal or medals.
Why was she allowed to go to Beijing in the first place?
If the results from her Dec. 25 drug test had been reported in a timely manner, it is possible that Valieva would not have been able to attend the Beijing Games.
Travis T. Tygart, the chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, called it “total gross incompetence” that it took more than a month for Valieva’s test result to be reported by the lab, and he said that the Russian antidoping agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency, which operates the lab in Stockholm, should have expedited the result with the Olympics approaching. WADA said Monday that Russia had failed to flag the urgency of the test to the lab, which might have led to a speedier turnaround. Russian officials have said they believe the lab had staff shortages because of the pandemic.
Isn’t Russia banned from the Olympics?
Russia has been banned from the most recent three Olympics after it was revealed that it conducted a state-sponsored doping scheme at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. But Russian athletes have been allowed to compete with special permission as so-called neutral athletes. At these Games, they are competing as the Russian Olympic Committee, but the Russian flag cannot be displayed nor can its anthem be played at medal ceremonies.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/article/kamila-valieva-olympics-doping-case.html