Russian skater Kamila Valieva loses neutral athlete status, source says

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has lost her neutral athlete status, according to a source familiar with the matter, adding a new development to the case that began with her failed doping test before the 2022 Olympics.

Valieva, now 20, was 15 when she became the focus of a global controversy at the Beijing Games. A sample collected two months earlier tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance. The source said Valieva received a letter informing her that the International Skating Union had revoked her neutral status. The ISU declined to comment.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport imposed a four-year ban in 2024 and backdated it to the date of her positive test at the Russian national championships in December 2021. Trimetazidine is used to prevent angina attacks.

The failed test emerged after Valieva had helped Russia win the Olympic team event. That result was later annulled, with the United States elevated to the top of the podium.

Valieva returned to competition at the Russian Jumping Championships in February, but she remained ineligible for this year’s Milano-Cortina Olympics.