Explainer | Winter Olympics doping scandal: what is 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva accused of, and what will the Court of Arbitration for Sport have to decide?
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Russia’s 15-year-old skating prodigy Kamila Valieva is set to compete against 29 other athletes in the women’s figure skating individual short programme on Tuesday night at the Beijing Winter Olympics – but only if she is cleared at a drugs hearing on Sunday night.
A Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) disciplinary committee lifted a temporary suspension on Valieva on Wednesday, after she tested positive for a banned drug.
Now, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) are challenging the decision, which will be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
If a ban is imposed, it would be a big blow to the figure skater, who became the first woman ever to perform a quadruple jump at the Olympics, when she won gold with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the team event on Monday.
A hearing is scheduled for 8.30pm on Sunday, and her fate will remain undecided until a ruling is returned on Monday afternoon.
Why was Valieva suspended?
Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance.
