Valieva trains in Beijing as doping row rages

Russian skater Kamila Valieva can officially train and take part in the Beijing Winter Olympics until CAS delivers its verdict
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Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva took to the ice in Beijing after officials announced she had failed a doping test

Figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva continues to train in Beijing amid the doping row surrounding  the Russian star. On Friday, Valieva reportedly joined her teammates only in the middle of training, missing a large part of morning practice.

Valieva, whose participation in the Games is now hanging in the balance, is said to have fallen three times on her jumps during training. Valieva forgot to take a starting pose before pulling out her short program instead of the free skate. She also made errors on both her signature quads as well as a triple flip. 

Immediately after training the skater was said to have been harried by members of the Western media who asked her about the failed doping test. Valieva ignored them, covering her face with her hood. 

Valieva’s Olympic debut, which had been expected to yield gold in the team and individual events, has turned into an unsavory saga after her positive doping test was announced on Friday.

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It was confirmed by the International Testing Agency (ITA) that Valieva’s doping probe taken at the Russian national championships in December was positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine.

The testing laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden, reported the positive only after Valieva led her team to the Olympic gold, where she had become the first woman in history to land a quad at the Winter Games.

The Russian anti-doping agency imposed a provisional suspension on the skater after receiving the results of her doping probe, although Valieva appealed that step a day later and had the ban lifted on February 9, meaning that now she is able to train and compete in Beijing.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Skating Union (ISU) have filed appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the Russian decision to allow her to compete.

“We have a 100% policy against doping,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in a press conference on Friday.

“We need to expedite this as quickly as possible for all those concerned,” he added.

Valieva’s status is expected to be revealed before the women’s competition, where she is considered to be the odds-on favorite.