Russian figure skating federation praises CAS decision on Valieva

The Russian figure skating federation (RFSF) praised a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to allow Kamila Valieva to compete in the women’s single skating at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the RIA news agency reported.

RFSF President Alexander Gorshkov described the court's decision as a "triumph of common sense and justice", Russia's state-owned news agency RIA reported.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had upheld the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's decision to lift a ban on the 15-year-old, who tested positive for a banned substance on 25 December, in a statement released on its website on Monday.

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a medication that is used to prevent angina attacks but is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list because it improves blood flow to the heart, from a sample taken on Christmas Day during Russia's national championships.

Reaction to CAS ruling

United States Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said of the decision, “We are disappointed by the message this decision sends. It is the collective responsibility of the entire Olympic community to protect the integrity of sport and to hold our athletes, coaches and all involved to the highest of standards. Athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field. Unfortunately, today that is being denied. This appears to be another chapter in the systematic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.”