The long-running doping case involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva could finally be decided after dates were set Thursday for a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
CAS will hear the case, which overshadowed last year’s Beijing Olympics, from Sept. 26-29. It won't be open to the public.
The hearing could finally provide clarity about who won the team figure skating competition in Beijing. Russia placed first with Valieva on its team, ahead of the United States, but no medals have been awarded.
Valieva’s positive test for a banned heart medication in December 2021 was revealed at the Beijing Olympics several weeks later.
Valieva was 15 at the time and her case prompted concern about the coaching and treatment of teenage skaters in Russia. She was allowed to skate in the women's competition but placed fourth after an error-strewn routine. She is now 17.
The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Skating Union appealed to CAS after a Russian tribunal ruled Valieva was not at fault. WADA is seeking a four-year ban and disqualification from the Olympics. The Russian national anti-doping agency has also joined the case by filing an appeal, but it has indicated a reprimand would be sufficient, a verdict that would leave Valieva and the Russian team as Olympic gold medalists.
