Russian teenager Kamila Valieva will return to competition in Saransk this weekend as the investigation into her doping case that marred the Beijing Winter Olympics continues.
Valieva, 15, will compete in the Channel One Cup, a Russian-only event contrived to clash with the World Championships, which start on Wednesday in Montpellier. All Russian skaters are banned from competing in France due to sanctions imposed following the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Reports in Russia this week have claimed that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) intends to use its allotted six month time-frame from the date of the notification of Valieva's alleged offence to reach a decision over sanctions. This means the authority, who dubiously lifted the athlete's provisional suspension during the Olympics, will be delayed until August.
The final result of the Olympic team competition remains unconfirmed, with medals yet to be awarded. That's despite a failed appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] by the current silver medallists, the United States.
Valieva had been cleared to continue competing in Beijing despite confirmation of a positive test for a banned heart medication, after CAS upheld RUSADA's decision to lift her automatic suspension. They argued her age, and the fact she had not been given time to present a case for the defence, were mitigating circumstances.
Valieva, whose mother blamed accidental contamination from her grandfather's heart medication, then led her individual event after a near-flawless short programme. However, she fell multiple times during her free skate, and eventually finishing fourth.
Afterwards, she was seemingly pilloried by her coach Eteri Tutberidze upon leaving the ice. The drama prompted criticism from International Olympic Committee [IOC] president Thomas Bach, who said he was "very, very disturbed" by her response.
Valieva has since returned to Russia where she has continued to train with Tutberidze, and is scheduled to compete in Saransk. Olympic champion Anna Shcherbakova and pairs silver medallists Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, as well as ice dance runners-up Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, have also entered.
The absence of the Russians is not the only issue affecting the World Championships. Men's gold medallist Nathan Chen and Japanese superstar Yuzuru Hanyu have withdrawn due to injury, and Chinese skaters, including pairs champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, will also be absent.
Inevitably, the validity of Montpellier has been dismissed in Russia. Indeed, Russian Figure Skating Union president Alexander Gorshkov hinted the Channel One Cup was contrived to overshadow the event.
"The Channel One Cup will be held in Saransk in the same week as the World Championships," Gorshkov, himself a former Olympic champion, announced last month. "Is it accidental or not? That is up to you to decide."
Since the conflict in Ukraine began, Russian athletes have been banned from a number of international events. Despite having already travelled to China, their athletes were prevented from participating in the Winter Paralympics this month.
