Doping Scandal in the Winter Olympics

Another story line that interested many Americans was that of one of the youngest upcoming stars, Kamila Valieva, who skated her way up to the top. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to perform a skating routine that one could only dream of, but this year, for the 15 year old, this dream has become a reality. No one expected the controversy that this young girl brought to Beijing, though.

Before entering the Winter Olympics, Valieva entered the 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. She beat her own world record in the short program earning a score of 90.45. This made her the first woman ever in scoring a 90 and above, under the current scoring system. When she finally arrived in Beijing for the Winter Olympics, she immediately impressed everyone, landing two quadruple jumps, winning gold for the Russian Olympic Committee. According to the Washington Post, Valieva said, “I believe that I am coping with this pressure, and sometimes it even pushes me forward. It helps me.”

Hours later, that victory shortly vanished after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sent her drug test results out. Valieva tested positive for three heart medications, Hypoxen, L-Carnitine and Trimetazidine. Trimetazidine was banned by WADA because it helps increase endurance. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) suspended Valieva from competing in the Olympics. This brought a lot of controversy and confusion throughout the whole competition. Many people were angry that Valieva had to go through this, because of her age.

Many former Olympians came forward to defend the Russian skater, but placed blame on her coaches; Adam Rippon, an American figure skater that won bronze in the team event at the 2018 games said to Times magazine, “What this says is that the team around her are child abusers. The only thing they care about is performance, and not the health and well being of their athletes. They are a factory that pumps out children who can compete, up to a certain point. It doesn’t feel like the coaches involved in the ladies’ program are coaches at all, but dog trainers; they’re running a circus.” Scott Moir, a Canadian skater and two-time Olympic gold medalist in ice dance agreed. “I feel sick to my stomach. What I’m feeling is my whole dedication to my sport, to my community and to my country — I’m questioning it all.” Moir also added, “I do feel for the 15-year-old, but at the end of the day if she did cheat, it’s very simple to me—she shouldn’t be competing. I do put the blame for that on people around her, and not so much on her. But this is a big hit to the Olympic movement.” Moir told Time Magazine.

Days after Valeiva’s suspension, the Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided to appeal her suspension and allow her to compete. Valieva had two negative tests since her last positive test. She continued to compete, but failed to obtain a medal after finishing fourth, falling numerous times and earning a total score of 141.93. It was a sad conclusion to what had originally been an incredible story.