Valieva, then 15 years old, tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine on December 25, 2021, in the run-up to the Winter Games in Beijing. The result was only announced on February 8, 2022, a day after she won the nations competition with the Russian team at the Beijing Games. In that competition she was the first figure skater to perform a quadruple jump. After an emergency hearing by the TAS, she was also allowed to compete in the individual tournament in Beijing, pending the investigation.
The disciplinary committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) reached a decision in the doping case months later. Valieva had committed an offense for which she bore “no fault or negligence” and for that reason she was not punished. The global anti-doping agency WADA and the international skating union ISU challenged that ruling at the TAS. WADA also demanded a four-year ban.
Valieva’s suspension will take effect retroactively on December 25, 2021. All Russian results since that date will be deleted.