Russian figure skaters recently had their gold medals revoked (even though they were never actually awarded) from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing after star skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for a prohibited substance. This sparked a lengthy legal battle to determine the rightful champions, as many rightly argued that Valieva should not have been allowed to compete. The issue was recently resolved, with the United States being promoted to the gold medal position.
However, the question remained of what to do with Valieva, who tested positive for doping when she was only 15 years old. Valieva and her representatives had to present their case for why she should not face a ban before The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Paris, the highest court for sporting matters. On Wednesday, the Court announced its decision to ban Valieva from international competition for a duration of four years.
Now, I’m not an expert in law, but when you hear the arguments put forth by Valieva’s legal team, it becomes evident that they were attempting a desperate move. The substance for which Valieva tested positive was a heart medication, so they needed to provide an explanation as to why a healthy 15-year-old would consume such a substance. While it is unclear if they explored any alternative explanations, the one they presented involved a peculiar strawberry dessert.
According to ESPN, the ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport addresses why they did not find Valieva and her team’s explanation convincing. Their argument was that Valieva’s grandfather accidentally contaminated her strawberry dessert with his heart medication, claiming that residue from the medication was present on a cutting board and transferred to the dessert.
It may sound like a scene from a comedy sketch, but this was the actual argument made in a document about doping in figure skating. One can only imagine the discussion that took place when they devised this strategy. It is clear that it had little chance of success, but one cannot help but admire the audacity of such a far-fetched legal maneuver.