A RUSADA tribunal yesterday found Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva should bear "no fault or negligence" for an anti-doping rule violation ©Getty Images

Russian State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova has acknowledged that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) decision to effectively clear Kamila Valieva is an "intermediate" verdict, and she expects the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to "play this situation in their own way".

A RUSADA tribunal yesterday ruled that figure skater Valieva, who helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to win gold in the team event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, committed an anti-doping rule violation but should bear "no fault or negligence" for it.

The only sanction taken against Valieva was to strip her of her gold medal in the women's singles event at the Russian Championships in Saint-Petersburg in December 2021.

The then-15-year-old tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in a sample on December 25 2021, but this was only reported by a WADA-accredited laboratory on February 8 last year after the ROC had won its team gold, as exclusively revealed by insidethegames.

WADA said it would review the case but admitted it was "concerned by the finding" of the RUSADA tribunal, and would "not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as appropriate".

Zhurova, who won gold for Russia in the women's 500 metres speed skating event at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics and turned to politics after finishing her sporting career, admitted she expects WADA to appeal.

Speed skating Olympic gold medallist and Russian State Duma member Svetlana Zhurova expects WADA to
Speed skating Olympic gold medallist and Russian State Duma member Svetlana Zhurova expects WADA to "play this situation in their own way" ©Getty Images

"These are intermediate decisions, everyone understands this, and, most likely, in the end everything will be decided in court," she told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"But, if earlier foreign lawyers could defend us, and this led to good results, now it will be more difficult - many of them were forbidden to do this.

"On the other hand, it is important that the Disciplinary Committee made just such a decision.

"The position is clear, and it is formulated on an evidence base.

"Further, most likely, WADA will consider this, and we understand that they will try to play this situation in their own way."

WADA had previously criticised RUSADA's delay in rendering a decision on the Valieva case, and referred it to CAS seeking a four-year period of ineligibility for the athlete.

The RUSADA tribunal found Kamila Valieva should be stripped of her women's singles gold at the 2021 Russian Championships, but the ROC would be allowed to keep its Beijing 2022 team gold subject to a CAS appeal ©Getty Images
The RUSADA tribunal found Kamila Valieva should be stripped of her women's singles gold at the 2021 Russian Championships, but the ROC would be allowed to keep its Beijing 2022 team gold subject to a CAS appeal ©Getty Images

The medal ceremony for the team figure skating event from Beijing 2022 is yet to take place because of Valieva's failed drugs test, and RUSADA's decision would mean the ROC would be allowed to keep its gold medals, subject to a CAS appeal.

Lawyer Anna Antseliovich confirmed to TASS that second-placed Alexandra Trusova would be upgraded to gold for the National Championships in December 2021 "at least until the end of all appeal procedures".

Antseliovich added that WADA, the International Skating Union and RUSADA would have "21 days after receipt of the reasoned decision" to decide whether or not to appeal.

RUSADA director general Veronika Loginova claimed yesterday that it has not yet received the tribunal's full reasoning, but would consider an appeal to CAS.