Russian Olympic skater Kamila Valieva reportedly tested positive for the use of a banned drug.
Valieva, 15, whose female figure skating team initially appeared to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, tested positive for using trimetazidine, which is often used for chest pain, Russian media company RBK reported.
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“The situation arose today on short notice that requires legal consultation with the [International Skating Union]. You will appreciate there’s legal implications involved in this — I can’t really talk much more about this,” the director of communications for the International Olympic Committee said Wednesday in response to reports about Valieva.
The awards ceremony for the Olympic figure skating team has been delayed due to the positive test, which could result in the Olympics rescinding the gold medal that Valieva and the other five members of her team won Monday. Valieva managed to land the first quadruple jumps by a woman in the competition, Reuters reported. The United States took home silver in the competition followed by Japan, which took bronze, and Canada, which finished fourth.
Trimetazidine was banned from competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency because it can improve one’s performance in endurance sports, according to NBC. The drug limits major shifts in blood pressure while increasing blood flow to the heart.
It is unclear if Valieva attempted to get an exemption to use the drug or has a medical condition that would warrant its use. The sample is believed to have been obtained before Valieva won the European championship last month, according to the Associated Press.
The drug was the center of a previous doping scandal among Russian bobsledders in 2018, which resulted in a Russian athlete being disqualified from the Winter Olympics that year and receiving an eight-month ban from competition.
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A 2014 documentary by German broadcaster ARD accused Russia of running a state-sponsored performance-enhancing drug operation for its athletes. The documentary sparked international backlash against Russia. The country has had at least 43 medals retroactively stripped from athletes throughout its time competing in the Olympics, according to a 2019 New York Times report.
Germany is currently leading the Olympic medal count with five gold medals and eight medals overall. The U.S. is in sixth place with two gold medals and eight medals total. Russia is in ninth place with two gold medals and 11 medals overall. The Games began last Friday and will continue through Feb. 20.
The Olympics have been subject to international controversy due to host China’s human rights violations against the Uyghur Muslim population.
