BEIJING — What the Court of Arbitration for Sport essentially said in deciding figure skater Kamila Valieva can compete in the Olympic women's singles event despite having tested positive for a banned stimulant in December is that it's OK to be a drug cheat if you're 15 and you have "protected person" status under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. That's reprehensible on more levels than Valieva has quadruple jumps in her repertoire.
Valieva, who became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition while boosting a gold-medal effort by athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee in the team event, was suspended last week by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) after it received a report the prohibited substance trimetazidine had been detected in a test she took at the national championships. She appealed, and the same agency lifted her suspension the next day. Surprise!
The International Olympic Committee, International Skating Union and World Anti-Doping Agency challenged the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's decision to lift Valieva's suspension, all of them apparently foolish enough to think a doping violation committed, even unknowingly, by a stellar athlete would be punished according to the rules established for everyone. A panel of three arbitrators appointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed those challenges Monday, allowing Valieva to compete starting Tuesday.
