San Francisco Frontiers - Russian skater Valieva's doping case adjourned until November

Valieva's hearing over a positive drug test which emerged during the 2022 Winter Olympics, had begun behind closed doors in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Skating Union (ISU) are appealing Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) ruling that Valieva bore "no fault or negligence" for the positive test on December 25, 2021, when she won the Russian championships.

"The Panel of arbitrators in charge of the matter heard the parties (RUSADA, ISU, WADA and Ms Valieva), their experts and witnesses during the hearing," CAS said in a statement.

"After the presentation of evidence by the parties, the Panel ordered the production of further documentation and, in order to allow the parties to consider and address such documentation, allowed two further days for the hearing of the appeal."

The hearing will resume on November 9 and 10 in Lausanne when the panel will hear the closing submissions and reach a decision.

In Beijing in February 2022, Valieva, then 15, became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, helping Russia secure gold in the team event.

The next day, she was told she had tested positive before the Games for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but which is banned for athletes.

WADA and the ISU are demanding up to four years' suspension and the cancellation of all Valieva's results since the end of 2021.

Valieva has blamed "contamination by cutlery" shared with her grandfather, who was treated with trimetazidine and who drove her to training every day.

M.Powell--SFF