The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not want Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who came under fire after testing positive for a banned substance, to further take part in the Beijing Games, but the court ruling allowing her participation must be respected, IOC chief Thomas Bach said
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2022) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not want Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who came under fire after testing positive for a banned substance, to further take part in the Beijing Games, but the court ruling allowing her participation must be respected, IOC chief Thomas Bach said.
Earlier in February, the International Testing Agency said that Valieva's probe, which was performed by a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on December 25, contained a banned substance called trimetazidine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed her participation in Olympic individual competitions despite a complaint from the IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the International Skating Union.
"We went to court, we did not want (Valieva) to participate (in the Olympics), and we lost the court case so we have to respect the rule of law because if we are not respecting it, if we are abandoning the rule of law, there are no international sports anymore," Bach told a news conference.
He insisted that the investigation into Valieva's doping scandal is of exceptional importance and that WADA was qualified to conduct it.
"I have my experience over years having had to listen to too many lies, and too many explanations of doping cases, and realizing that doping very rarely happens alone by the athletes," Bach explained.
Russian figures skaters, including Valieva, won first place in the team event at the Games but the awarding ceremony was never held after the delayed results of the doping test came to light. On Wednesday, Valieva missed out on the podium after clinching fourth place in the individual competition.
The Beijing Olympic Games, launched on February 4, are due to end on Sunday.
