The fact that Kamila Valijeva, despite a positive doping test, can still participate in the short freestyle tomorrow, raised a lot of eyebrows. But the IOC accepts the decision of the TAS.
“It is important to emphasize that it is not a judgment on the merits,” says doping fighter Peter Van Eenoo. “So there is no judgment about the doping pool itself.”
“A number of considerations are being looked at, such as the fact that Valijeva is a minor and the doping result was only announced late. On that basis, it was decided to grant her the right to participate for the time being.”
“That does not mean that everything has been forgotten and forgiven. An independent court has ruled that if Valijeva is not allowed to participate, they can no longer rectify that with a reduced sentence. But if she wins a medal, they can still take it.”
According to Van Eenoo, the court has “made a decision in good conscience”. “Indeed, some arguments were used that are not in the World Anti-Doping Agency code,” he says. “But they also had to judge in exceptional circumstances.”
“It’s also important not to judge or condemn prematurely. Because she’s a Russian athlete, everything is put under a magnifying glass. But she’s only 15 years old, so when the 2014 doping scandal broke out, she was only 7 .”
Van Eenoo also silences the conspiracy theorists, who think that Rusada wants to cover up everything. “There are enough safeguards in the system that can be used,” he concludes.
Valijeva tested positive for trimetazidine, an angina medicine, in December. “It intervenes in the metabolic processes that take into account the energy household”, explains Van Eenoo.
“In short: you can perform for longer and you will not wear it as quickly. It is a product that is occasionally detected. It is not a top-notch – so to speak – but also not an obscure remedy.”
