She doesn’t hide, but shows: “I’m here!”
The Russian child prodigy Kamila Valieva (15), who was first banned by the Russian anti-doping agency Rusada after a positive doping test and then acquitted by its disciplinary committee, has a landmark Sunday ahead of her. If you didn’t tell her, she trained normally.
In Lausanne, the Cas International Court of Arbitration for Sports is now deciding on their fate. Is the lifting of the ban by the Rusada Disciplinary Committee legal or not? Or to put it another way: is she allowed to start at the Olympics in Beijing or not?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had appealed the lifting of the ban because Valieva tested positive on December 25. The hearings, which are conducted by video, begin at 1.30 p.m. German time. The judges Fabio Iudica (Italy), Jeffrey Benz (USA) and Vesna Bergant Rakocevic (Slovenia) then sit down and discuss the decision.
It should be communicated to the IOC, Valieva and the Russian Olympic Committee on Monday morning, after which it will become public. IOC spokesman Mark Adams emphasized: “It’s all about the right to start at the Olympic Games. The case in its entirety will be heard at a later date. The wheels of justice grind rather slowly.”
An incredibly difficult situation for the skating chick, who no one believes took the banned heart drug trimetazidine of his own accord. The burning questions: Who administered it to her and with what intention? Why did the test result only come out after February 8th and thus after the team gold in Beijing? Why was the ban lifted from an athlete who tested positive?
It is questionable whether these are actually discussed. Above all, it should be about whether Rusada was allowed to lift Valieva’s suspension or not. If she is allowed, Valieva will start. If not, the lock is valid. How things would go from there is unclear, because time is of the essence. There is no time for a long process. She is on the starting list for the short program on Thursday.
Always at Kamila Valieva’s side: the stuffed animals as lucky charmsPhoto: Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Nobody believes that Valieva will be banned for two years, as is usual in such cases. On the one hand, because there are special rules for minors, on the other hand, because she herself is very likely to be innocent. It will be important for Valieva to find those who are really responsible. Then she could get away with a mini ban of a few months.
The direct environment of the athlete should be in the field of view of the investigators. This is what the IOC would like. Above all in focus: the merciless trainer Eteri Tutberidse (47). If you and, if necessary, doctors are proven to have committed a crime, you could face a ban of up to four years. When it comes to child doping, even civil jurisdiction would apply.
What might be going on in her head? Kamila Valieva seems thoughtful during trainingPhoto: Bernat Armangue/AP
Valieva trained as usual on Sunday and was at the Capital Indoor Stadium around 7 a.m. in the morning. However, her smile has faded, it only seldom crosses her face. The expression remained serious, she seemed highly concentrated, introspective. Not uncommon.
Always there: a handful of cuddly toys, her lucky charms. One looks like her dog Leva, her absolute favorite back home in Moscow. If the European champion, who is running her first season with the women, couldn’t handle it mentally anymore, she wouldn’t train.
Kamila Valieva with her trainer Eteri Tutberidze during Sunday morning trainingPhoto: Getty Images
But she looks strong, stands the jumps. Her specialty: the quadruple toe loop and salchow. “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel is her freestyle music. A difficult legacy since the Brits Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean became legends with it in Sarajevo in 1984.
But Valieva says: “I can handle pressure. He even drives me.” Also this time? It would be her wish. If she’s allowed to start…