The world’s top anti-doping authority will investigate the entourage of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva who tested positive for a banned drug, plunging her into a doping scandal at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.
Valieva, whose Olympic future will be decided after a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing at 8:30 p.m. Beijing time (7:30 a.m. ET), effortlessly completed a clean run through of her short program in practice on Sunday.
Watching her from the sidelines were her three coaches, Eteri Tutberidze, Sergei Dudakov and Daniil Gleikhengauz, as well as the team doctor Filipp Shvetsky and a physiotherapist.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday that it would ask its independent Intelligence and Investigations Department to probe the coaches, doctors and other adults surrounding the athlete.
Court to decide Russian figure skater’s Olympic fate
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva must now wait for a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to find out whether she’s allowed to hold onto her gold medal victory. 4:26
Earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had formally asked WADA to launch an investigation.
WADA also said that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has indicated it has already started investigating the entourage because Valieva is a minor.
Valieva tested positive for a banned heart drug at her national championships last December, but it took more than six weeks for her to be notified, allowing her to compete in Beijing.
Her future at the Games, and a gold medal for the Russian Olympic Committee in the team event that she dominated on Monday, now hang in the balance amid a global outcry over Moscow’s doping history.
Tutberidze, the most sought after figure skating coach in Russia, has not responded to Reuters emails.
On Saturday, she said she was certain Valieva was “clean and innocent” in an interview with Russian state television.
At 15, Valieva is one of the youngest athletes to have a positive test revealed at the Olympics, prompting outrage and questions about the role of the adults around her and the continuing scourge of Russian doping in international sport.
The IOC set up the entourage commission in 2010 as positive drug cases of athletes mounted in the 2000s, especially with the re-testing of samples of past Olympics.
Breaking down the latest Russian doping controversy
On this episode investigative reporter Nick Butler breaks down the details of the scandal surrounding Russian teenage figure skater, Kamila Valieva 7:54
Russia’s state-backed doping scandal after the 2014 Sochi Olympics made more apparent that athletes often did not act alone but were supported by a wider network, including medics, coaches, agents and family and friends.
The commission can sanction individuals for a number of violations that include doping, unsportsmanlike conduct and harassment. Sanctions can range from reprimands to permanent exclusion from the Olympics.
On Sunday, however, it will be Valieva’s future at the Games that is debated. A panel of three judges for CAS will hear arguments from the IOC, WADA and International Skating Union to reinstate a ban lifted by the Russian Anti-Doping Authority on Feb. 9.
At stake is Valieva’s entry in the women’s single event on Tuesday. CAS has said they will notify all parties on Monday.
The fate of the gold medal that has still not been awarded for the Feb. 7 women’s team event is likely to take longer to clear up.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
