(NewsNation Now) — Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva tested positive for the banned drug trimetazidine back in December, the International Testing Agency said on behalf of the International Olympic Committee Friday.
Reports and speculation on Valieva testing positive for the drug also known as TMZ swirled after Russian news outlets reported she had tested positive. The ITA confirmed these reports, saying she tested positive for trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in St. Petersburg six weeks ago.
Trimetazidine is not approved in the United States and is on a prohibited list of substances managed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It increases blood flow to the heart and prevents angina attacks, and is banned because it can also increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance, which are both crucial to high-end athletic performances like skating.
Despite testing positive, Valieva was still allowed to compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics because officials didn’t learn the results of her test until Feb. 8, because they were backed up in a lab in Sweden. But by then, Valieva had already helped the Russian Olympic Committee win gold in the team event. She became a standout in the Winter Games as the first female skater to land a quad jump at the Olympics.
The Associated Press reported that the delay in the lab results was caused by COVID-19, as laboratory staff in Sweden were either ill or in isolation. The lab said it is not allowed to comment on a pending case when asked by the AP.
Valieva will most likely have her Russian national title taken away, but as a minor, she has protections in the Olympics. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, she could ultimately receive just a simple reprimand. However, her coaches and team doctors and other members of her entourage need to be investigated, too.
Russia’s anti-doping agency allowed Valieva to skate, lifting its provisional ban on her. Both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency said it would fight that decision.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called people to support Valieva.
“We say to Kamila: ‘Kamila, do not hide your face, you are a Russian woman, walk proudly everywhere and most of all, compete and win against everyone,'” Peskov told reporters.
In other Olympics news, the U.S women’s hockey team beat the Czech Republic 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the tournament, and is now gearing up for Monday’s semifinals. Also, skier Mikaela Shiffrin took ninth in the Super-G, or super giant, Slalom and says she can now “trust her instincts” when she competes in the downhill competition on Tuesday.