Russian figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva failed a doping test at a national meet last December and will have her further participation at the Beijing Winter Olympics decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the International Testing Agency said Friday.
The ITA said the 15-year-old Valieva, who helped the Russian Olympic Committee win figure skating team gold in Beijing, failed the test taken at the Russian national championships on Dec. 25, with her sample coming back positive on Feb. 8.
She was banned by Russian testing agency RUSADA but petitioned to have the ban lifted pending an appeal.
The International Olympic Committee has appealed RUSADA's decision to lift the ban, with the CAS set to rule on the matter before the start of the women's singles competition on Tuesday, the ITA said.
The skater took part in official practice Friday at the Capital Indoor Stadium skating venue. Although Valieva did flash some smiles, she pulled her hood down when transiting the mixed zone and declined to speak to the media.
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She shook her head without speaking when asked if she had been guilty of doping, a question that drew the ire of some among the Russian media, who cited her young age.
Valieva holds the world records for points scored in the short program, free skate and combined total and had been the clear gold medal favorite.
Her domination of the women's short program and free skate in the team competition helped the ROC win gold by a big margin on Monday, but the medal ceremony was delayed for legal reasons, the IOC said at the time.
The ITA said Valieva was a "protected person" due to her age and was "not subject to mandatory public disclosure of her name," but felt the need to issue a statement following media reports that "did not grant her the same protection."
Russian athletes are competing in Beijing under the Russian Olympic Committee banner due to a ban on the national team over allegations of orchestrated doping.
