What we know: The timeline of events in the Kamila Valieva case

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A lot has happened over the past few days at the Winter Olympics in Beijing surrounding the information around Kamila Valieva and her positive doping test. Below is a summary of all of the events before and during the Olympics that we know about.

Before the Olympics

  • 25 December 2021: Valieva submits a sample for doping to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA)

  • 25 December 2021-8 February 2022: Valieva’s sample submitted to a lab in Sweden to be tested (Russia is not allowed to test its own samples)

    • The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed later that RUSADA did not mark it as a priority sample

    • Testing of the sample was delayed, at least in part, due to difficulties caused by the pandemic

During the Olympics

  • 4-7 February 2022: Valieva competed at the Team Event in the Olympics

  • 7 February 2022 morning: Valieva and the ROC team took the top spot in the Team Event

  • 7 February 2022 evening: Teams requested the medal ceremony be postponed to the next day to accommodate the men’s event competitors who would be competing in the short program on 8 February - request was granted

  • 8 February 2022 evening: The medalist teams in the Team Event medal ceremony were told that the ceremony was not happening that day, with no indication of when it would be postponed to or if it was cancelled

  • 9 February 2022 early morning: Russian media reports that the IOC said that the ceremony was not held due to an issue that involved “legal consultation”

  • 9 February 2022 morning: Valieva and other ROC team members did not practice in their practice sessions

  • 9 February 2022 afternoon:

    • Inside the Games noted insider information that someone on the ROC team had a positive doping test

    • Russian coaches told Russian media that Kondratiuk, Mishina/Galliamov, and Boikova/Kozlovskii were taking planned rest days from practice

    • USA Today and other news outlets confirmed the positive doping test information

  • 9 February 2022 late evening: Russian media posted on Telegram that a Russian sports agent said that Valieva failed a doping test, which led to the postponement of the Team Event medal ceremony

  • 10 February 2022 morning: During the men’s short program competition, NBC confirmed that Valieva had tested positive for trimetazadine

  • 10 February 2022 evening: The International Skating Union (ISU) issued a statement that they are unable to make further comment

  • 11 February 2022 late morning: The International Testing Agency (ITA) issued a statement that confirmed Valieva’s positive test and was suspended the day after the Team Event ended, after which RUSADA lifted the suspension following an appeal by Valieva and her team

    • Statement also noted that the IOC and ITA were lodging a joint appeal against the lift of the suspension

  • 11 February 2022 afternoon: The Figure Skating Federation of Russia issued a statement and noted that Valieva’s tests at Euros and in Beijing were negative

  • 11 February 2022 evening

    • WADA released a statement that they are joining the IOC/ITA appeal

    • Russian media reports that RUSADA will launch an investigation into Valieva’s coaching team

  • 12 February 2022 evening: The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) released timeframe of hearing

  • 13 Feburary 2022 8:30pm: CAS held its hearing

  • 14 February 2022 afternoon: CAS dismissed the appeal from IOC/ITA/WADA/ISU and allowed Valieva to continue competing at the Olympics

    • The reasonings included Valieva as a “protected person” (e.g,. a minor), the late reporting of the result, and the “irreparable harm” of not allowing her to continue based on the fact that the test was conducted prior to the Olympics and that her tests at the Olympics came back negative

    • This case was solely on the suspension, not on the merits of the doping violation, which will continue to be decided in the weeks and months ahead

  • 14 February 2022 late afternoon

    • WADA issues statement about the CAS panel decision

    • IOC Executive Board issues statement about the CAS panel decision, including:

      • If Valieva finishes in the top 24 in the short program, a 25th skater would also qualify for the free skate

      • If Valieva finishes in the top 3 overall, there will be no flower or medal ceremony held at these Olympics; a ceremony will be held after the case is resolved

      • There will be no Team Event medal ceremony at these Olympics; a ceremony will be held after the case has been resolved

  • 15 February 2022 morning: According to a post from The Dossier Center, which claims to have gotten an audio recording of the CAS hearing, the trimetazidine was linked to Valieva’s grandfather