Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater became the biggest news out of the recently concluded 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics last month, when the teenager was found to have failed a dope test from December but was allowed to keep competing at the event. Now, amidst all Russian and Belarusian athletes facing suspension from international sporting events and federations, Valieva will be seen back in action for the first time since the Games, as she will be participating in the upcoming Channel One Cup exhibition event this week.
Kamila Valieva taking part in Russian-only Channel One Cup event
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the aid of Belarus and the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war, all athletes from Russia and Belarus, including figure skaters, have been banned from taking part in the upcoming World Championships in Montpellier, France due to the sanctions imposed on Russia.
However, Russia themselves are organizing the Channel One Cup, a state event which will feature only Russian figure skaters and will take place in Saransk from this Friday, in which Valieva will be competing. The exhibition event will feature two teams of skaters from Russia, taking part in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dancing events. It will take place from Friday to Sunday and will counter the World Championships in France, which is taking place from Wednesday to Sunday.
According to the International Testing Agency (ITA), Kamila Valieva underwent a dope test back on 25th December which was conducted by Russian officials, the results of which arrived last week during the Winter Games. It was revealed that traces of the banned heart drug Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, was found in the urine samples of Valieva.
TMZ is categorized under World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances as “hormone and metabolic modulator” since 2014, and both its in and out of competition use is illegal for athletes.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing had granted Valieva clearance to continue her participation at the Winter Games for being a minor, she was allowed to continue Valieva was omitted from the medal contention.
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Highlights:
- Russian teen figure skater Kamila Valieva will be taking part in the upcoming Channel One Cup exhibition event this week featuring only Russian athletes
- All Russian and Belarusian figure skaters have been banned from competing in the World Championships
- Valieva made headlines during the Winter Olympic Games last month after failing dope test
