Valieva’s entourage under investigation by World Anti-Doping Agency By Reuters

By Steve Keating, Karolos Grohmann and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

BEIJING (Reuters) – The world’s prime anti-doping authority will examine the entourage of 15-year-old Russian determine skater Kamila Valieva who examined optimistic for a banned drug, plunging her right into a doping scandal on the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Valieva, whose Olympic future can be determined after a Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) listening to at 8:30 p.m. Beijing time (1230 GMT), effortlessly accomplished a clear run via of her brief programme in follow on Sunday.

Watching her from the sidelines have been her three coaches, Eteri Tutberidze, Sergei Dudakov and Daniil Gleikhengauz, in addition to the workforce physician Filipp Shvetsky and a physiotherapist.

The World Anti-Doping Company (WADA) mentioned in a press release to Reuters on Sunday that it could ask its unbiased Intelligence and Investigations Division to analyze the coaches, medical doctors and different adults surrounding the athlete.

Earlier, the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) mentioned it had formally requested WADA to launch an investigation.

WADA additionally mentioned that the Russian Anti-Doping Company (RUSADA) has indicated it had already began investigating the entourage as a result of Valieva is a minor.

Valieva examined optimistic for a banned coronary heart drug at her nationwide championships final December, but it surely took greater than six weeks for her to be notified, permitting her to compete in Beijing.

Her future on the Video games, and a gold for the Russian Olympic Committee within the workforce occasion that she dominated on Monday, now cling within the stability amid a world outcry over Moscow’s doping historical past.

Tutberidze, essentially the most sought-after determine skating coach in Russia, has not responded to Reuters emails.

On Saturday, she mentioned she was sure Valieva was “clear and harmless” in an interview with Russian state tv.

At 15, Valieva is likely one of the youngest athletes to have a optimistic check revealed on the Olympics, prompting outrage and questions in regards to the function of the adults round her and the persevering with scourge of Russian doping in worldwide sport.

The IOC arrange the entourage fee in 2010 as optimistic drug instances of athletes mounted within the 2000s, particularly with the re-testing of samples of previous Olympics.

Russia’s state-backed doping scandal after the 2014 Sochi Olympics made extra obvious that athletes typically didn’t act alone however have been supported by a community, together with medics, coaches, brokers and household and mates.

The fee can sanction people for a lot of violations that embody doping, unsportsmanlike conduct and harassment. Sanctions can vary from reprimands to everlasting exclusion from the Olympics.

On Sunday, nonetheless, will probably be Valieva’s future on the Video games that’s debated. A panel of three judges for CAS will hear arguments from the IOC, WADA and Worldwide Skating Union to reinstate a ban lifted by the Russian Anti-Doping Authority on Feb. 9.

At stake is Valieva’s entry within the girls’s single occasion on Tuesday. CAS has mentioned they’ll notify all events on Monday.

The destiny of the gold medal that has not been awarded for the Feb. 7 girls’s workforce occasion is more likely to take longer to clear up. The US and Japan are additionally ready within the wings for his or her medals.

“The athletes are a bit disenchanted that they’ve to attend for the medal ceremony to occur – that they had actually labored so laborious for that medal,” mentioned Japan’s chef de mission, Hidehito Ito.