Figure skater Kamila Valieva can participate in the remainder of the 2022 Winter Olympics, but there will not be a medal ceremony if she secures a podium spot.
Valieva, 15, who is representing the Russian Olympic Committee in Beijing, tested positive for banned substance trimetazidine in a sample taken on Dec. 25, 2021. Despite the anti-doping rules at the Olympics, she is still eligible to compete thanks to a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The CAS used several reasons to justify the decision, most notably calling Valieva a "protected person" -- or, too young to fully understand the substance she took -- because she is just 15 years old.
The International Olympic Committee can't restrict Valieva from skating after the ruling. The IOC does have the ability to postpone or cancel medal ceremonies, which they've elected to do if Valieva's finishes in the top three of the women's individual skating event.
Will there be a medal ceremony for the team figure skating event?
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The International Olympic Committee confirmed Monday that Valieva's participation in the ROCs gold-medal in the team figure skating event last week meant that there would be no medal ceremony.
“In the interest of fairness to all athletes and the (nations) concerned, it would not be appropriate to hold the medal ceremony for the figure skating team event during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” the IOC said in a statement, “as it would include an athlete who on the one hand has a positive A-sample, but whose violation of the anti-doping rules has not yet been established on the other hand.”
Team USA took silver and Japan took home bronze in that event.
What is Kamila Valieva's next Olympic event?
Valieva is expected to compete in the women's individual event at the 2022 Olympics, and she is expected to medal.
When is the next Olympic figure skating event?
The women’s individual event begins with the short program at 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
The top two dozen skaters from the short program will advance to the free skate, set to take place at 5 a.m. ET on Thursday.
The free skate is the gold-medal round of the individual program.
