Russian figure skater Kamila Valiyeva’s hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding her doping case from the 2022 Winter Olympics was adjourned until November so that more documentation can be produced.
CAS, the highest court in sports, concluded its three-day hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday with the news-making announcement that it’s not over, but will resume with two more days Nov. 9-10.
“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,” according to a press release.
The parties — the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the International Skating Union (ISU), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Valiyeva — are slated to make closing submissions at the resumption. Then the CAS panel will deliberate and decide.
Awaiting the outcome are nine American skaters who could become Olympic champions in the team event after finishing second at the 2022 Winter Games behind Valiyeva and the Russians.
Valiyeva’s defense has been that her positive test for a banned heart medication was caused by accidental contamination — maybe from a glass or plate — by tablets her grandfather claimed he took.
The first Russian anti-doping tribunal to judge the case during the Olympics in February 2022 said Valiyeva and her legal team “intend to conduct further investigation and present the results” at future hearings in the case.
The CAS hearing began more than 19 months after an initial CAS panel let Valiyeva continue skating in Beijing despite a failed doping test on her record.
WADA and the ISU challenged a Russian ruling belatedly announced in January that Valiyeva, as an underage minor at the time, was not at fault and should keep her Olympic results.
WADA has asked the three CAS judges to ban Valiyeva for four years — until December 2025 — and disqualify her from the Olympics.
The ISU wants a ban of at least two years and disqualification. RUSADA also joined the appeal and suggested a reprimand would do.
The United States figure skating team could be upgraded to gold in an event where no medal ceremony ever was held. In Beijing, Japan took bronze and Canada placed fourth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
