The Russian national figure skating team has made a significant decision regarding banned skater Kamila Valieva, as reported by Interfax news agency on Thursday.
Valieva, who recently placed third at the Russian National Championships held in December, has been dropped from the team, according to Alexander Kogan, the director general of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FSFR), speaking to Tass.
The decision comes in the wake of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on Jan. 29, which disqualified Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules starting on Dec. 25, 2021.
This ruling nullified all her results from that date forward, including her participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics held in February.
Valieva, 17, had been the world record holder in women's figure skating for the short program, free skating and combined total heading into the Beijing Games.
At just 15 years old, she was a strong favorite and led Russia to gold in the team event.
However, controversy arose when Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine after the team event, which is used to treat angina.
Despite the positive test, she was allowed to compete in the individual event, where she initially placed first after the short program but faltered in the free skating, finishing just off the podium in fourth place.
As a result of the CAS ruling, Team USA was elevated from second place to first place in the 2022 Olympic team event, with nine U.S. skaters set to receive their gold medals more than two years after the Games.
Valieva's removal from the Russian national team will not impact the upcoming 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal.
Russia, along with Belarus, has been indefinitely banned from international skating competitions since March 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
