Russia's anti-doping agency said Monday it should not be blamed for the results of figure skater Kamila Valieva's failed doping test arriving after the start of the Beijing Games, hitting back at a World Anti-Doping Agency statement.
RUSADA said it "strictly complies with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code and international standards" after WADA had insisted the sample sent to a Stockholm laboratory by RUSADA was not flagged as being a priority so the analysis could be fast-tracked.
"The athlete's sample, collected on December 25, 2021, was delivered to the laboratory in the time sufficient to perform the analysis within the standard timeframe," said RUSADA.
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It claims the lab informed RUSADA of delays in the analysis and provision of the reports due to a wave of COVID-19, a growing number of cases among its staff, and quarantine rules.
RUSADA also said the lab indicated the result would be available by the end of January ahead of the February Beijing Games with the analysis being prioritized before the eventual delay.
WADA, the International Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a RUSADA decision that lifted Valieva's provisional suspension following her positive test.
The 15-year-old's participation in the women's event starting Tuesday was confirmed Monday by CAS, which cited exceptional circumstances including her being a "protected person" in the World Anti-Doping Code due to her age.
It also stated that preventing Valieva, who has not tested positive during the Beijing Games and is still subject to a disciplinary procedure over her December case, from competing here "would cause her irreparable harm."
"An independent disciplinary body will evaluate all the circumstances related to the potential anti-doping rule violation," said RUSADA as it continues the results management process and investigation into the case.
Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported on Monday that Valieva's mother and lawyer said when appealing for RUSADA to overturn its ban that the skater could have ingested trimetazidine, the substance that caused her to fail the doping test, when she shared a glass with her grandfather on Christmas day. Her grandfather takes heart medication, they said.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Denis Oswald, chair of the IOC's disciplinary commission, said there is an expectation all aspects of the Valieva case will be examined, including whether those around her were responsible for the doping.
"It's also clearly a wish and a decision of the IOC, but also mainly on WADA, to examine all aspects of this case, including the situation of the entourage of the girl, because, of course, you can imagine a girl of 15 would not do something wrong alone."
No medal ceremony will be held for events in which Valieva has won or will win a medal at the Beijing Games. She was part of the Russian Olympic Committee team that won gold earlier in the games and is a favorite to take gold in the women's singles event that concludes on Thursday.
Due to the situation, skaters from the United States and Japan did not yet receive their respective silver and bronze team medals.
