(Reuters) – The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will not release the results of the investigation into Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva’s positive test “to protect the interests of the figure skater,” the agency said on Friday.
Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021 and the result was announced on February 8, a day after she helped her team win a gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The then 15-year-old figure skater was allowed to compete in the individual competition and finished fourth, despite being named a favorite for gold.
“All processes and procedures related to results management, including the indictment and final resolution of the matter, are confidential,” the agency said in a statement.
“Strictly adhering to the principles of international and Russian anti-doping standards, as well as considering the facts and circumstances of the case, RUSADA does not intend to announce the date of the hearings, the decision or any other details in the case figure skater – a member of the ROC team .”
Valieva said in her defense that the positive test was the result of a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication. In September, the Russian authorities confirmed that the investigation was “reaching its final stages”.