Kamila Valieva, the teenage Russian figure skater at the centre of one of the biggest Olympic Games doping scandals, has been banned from competing for four years. Valieva has also been stripped of the women’s team title, with her team-mates almost certain to follow. Valieva, 15 at the time, had initially been found by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to have borne no “fault or negligence” after testing positive for trimetazidine, but the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against that decision. The gold medal from the women’s team event is now set to go to the United States, runners-up to a team already competing under the title “Russian Olympic Committee”. Doctors, coaches or other support personnel who are found to have provided performance-enhancing substances to minors should face the full force of the World Anti-Doping Code.

Source: Stuff January 30, 2024 02:01 UTC