Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can continue to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance before the Games, an international body ruled Monday.
However, Olympic officials say there will be no medal ceremony if she finishes in the top three. Nor will there be a ceremony for the team figure skating event, meaning athletes including U.S. figure skaters will leave the Olympics without their medals.
The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a global sports arbiter, allows Valieva, 15, to compete in this week’s individual event, in which she is favored to win gold. Officials did not rule on whether Valieva had committed a doping offense.
In a statement after the decision, the International Olympic Committee said that due to the “inconclusive situation,” no medal ceremonies involving Valieva would take place during the Beijing Games. That includes the ceremony for the team event, which Russian skaters won Feb. 7, the day before Valieva was reported to have tested positive in December for trimetazidine, a heart medication that experts say could give athletes an edge.
“It would not be appropriate,” the IOC said, adding that it will “organise dignified medal ceremonies once the case of Ms. Valieva has been concluded.”
