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Doping scandal in Russian sports

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Russia’s Figure Skating Federation defends integrity of its athletes amid Valieva ruling

The federation emphasized that all members of the team who represented Russia at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing were the legitimate winners of the team competition and Olympic champions

MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. The Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FSFR) has said that it categorically disagrees with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to ban figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years as the integrity of its athletes is unimpeachable.

"The FSFR firmly disagrees with the CAS ruling on the four-year disqualification for Kamila Valieva, who was treated as an adult athlete despite being a protected individual. We also disagree with the decision of the International Skating Union (ISU) to strip our athletes of gold medals in the team figure skating event at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing," the federation said in a statement.

"As of today, the FSFR has not received any official documents and is waiting for an official notification from the ISU on the grounds for its decision. On our part, we stress that the FSFR has been taking and will continue taking all necessary measures to defend the rights and legal interests of our team and each athlete in particular, including in court. The interests of our figure skaters have always been and remain the most important priority for the federation," it stressed.

"We stand with our athletes and are confident in their integrity and honesty. We express our full support for all members of the team who represented our country at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. [They] are the legitimate winners of the team competition and Olympic champions," the federation said.

On January 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled to disqualify Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules starting on December 25, 2021. "All competitive results of Ms. Valieva from December 25, 2021 are disqualified, with all the resulting consequences," the CAS press service said in a statement.

The International Skating Union (ISU) decided on Tuesday to strip Russia of its gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in the team figure skating event by taking away some of the team’s previously earned points and subsequently awarding it the bronze medal.

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Doping scandal in Russian sports

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