Figure skating-Russian Valieva's neutral athlete status revoked, source says
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2022 Beijing Olympics - Figure Skating - Women Single Skating - Free Skating - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 17, 2022. Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee in action. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Sept 5 - Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has had her status as a neutral athlete revoked by the International Skating Union (ISU), a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday.
Valieva, 20, was 15 when she became the centre of a global controversy at the 2022 Olympics, after a sample taken two months earlier tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
Valieva has received a letter informing her of the decision to revoke her neutral status, the source said.
The International Skating Union declined to comment.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) imposed a four-year ban on Valieva in 2024, with the penalty backdated to when she tested positive for trimetazidine, which prevents angina attacks, at the Russian national championships in December 2021.
The failed test emerged after she had helped Russia win team gold at the Olympics, a result which was later annulled, elevating the United States to the top of the podium.
Valieva returned to ice skating in February at the Russian Jumping Championships but remained ineligible for this year's Milano-Cortina Olympics. REUTERS
