The president of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia, Olympic champion Alexander Gorshkov, said on Saturday the organization doesn’t “doubt the honesty” of figure skater Kamila Valieva after she tested positive for a banned heart drug.
“We do not doubt the honesty of our athlete. This matter requires careful consideration because this whole wild story raises too many questions,” Gorshkov said.
“It is necessary to sort out, on the one hand, the circumstances of what happened, and, on the other hand, what happened to the doping sample taken on December 25, almost a month and a half after it was sent to a foreign laboratory,” Gorshkov added.
He went on to say the federation would stand by its athlete in giving Valieva the support she needed “to protect her rights and interests.”
“For our part, we will provide the athlete with comprehensive assistance. To protect her rights and interests, qualified lawyers have been involved in this case,” Gorshkov said.
The 15-year-old Valieva, a breakout star of the Games who helped the Russian Olympic Committee take home gold in the figure skating team event, tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine in late December ahead of the Winter Olympics, the International Testing Agency said Friday.
The failed test results, however, only came back on February 8, one day after the figure skating team competition was concluded.
It remains unclear if the drug test controversy will see the medal revoked.
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