Winter Olympics: Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva blamed positive dope test on her grandfather’s heart medication
- Teen made the argument during Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing on Monday, IOC official says
- Valieva was cleared to compete on Tuesday evening in the women’s single skating short programme
The 15-year-old figure skater embroiled in a Winter Games doping scandal has defended her positive drug test, saying it was caused by a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication, an Olympic official said on Tuesday.
Kamila Valieva made the argument at a hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) into whether she should be allowed to continue competing in Beijing, Denis Oswald, permanent chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Disciplinary Commission, said.
“Her argument was this contamination happened with a product her grandfather was taking,” Oswald said.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the IOC did not immediately respond to a Reuters email after his comments.
Earlier, the IOC said in a press conference that Valieva’s “B” sample was yet to be analysed despite the initial positive result.
The teenager was cleared by CAS to compete in Tuesday evening’s single event after a panel agreed with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) decision to lift a ban on her.
Valieva was tested at her national championships on December 25, but the positive test for a banned angina drug was not revealed until February 8, after she had already competed at the Beijing Games.