Court to Decide Russian Skater Kamila Valieva's Olympic Future
2022-02-12
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1A court is holding an urgent hearing to decide if a 15-year-old Russian figure skater accused of doping has the right to compete next week at the Beijing Olympic Games.
2Doping is the illegal use of drugs to improve athletic performance.
3The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Friday that Kamila Valieva failed a drug test she took six weeks ago.
4The test results came back earlier this week from a Swedish laboratory.
5Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA temporarily banned Valieva from competition on Tuesday.
6After an appeal, the agency ended the ban Wednesday.
7Both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency said Friday they would fight RUSADA's decision to permit Valieva to compete.
8The women's individual competition opens in Beijing Tuesday.
9Valieva is a strong favorite to win the gold medal in the individual event.
10She already competed in Beijing in the team figure skating event and helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) take first place.
11She made history during the event by being the first woman to land a quadruple jump on Olympic ice.
12That means she jumps and turns four circles in the air before landing.
13Figure skating experts consider Valieva one of the most talented skaters ever.
14The young skater has broken world record marks all season long.
15The ROC said it will fight to keep the gold medal it won in the team event with Valieva's help.
16It also said that a drug test Valieva took while at the Olympics came back clean.
17All medalists get tested at the Olympics.
18Russian athletes have a long history of doping.
19Russia was banned from Olympic competition because of past drug violations.
20Russian athletes are taking part in these Olympics under the name Russian Olympic Committee.
21The International Testing Agency (ITA) said Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication called Trimetazidine, or TMZ.
22The test was administered on December 25 and sent to a laboratory in Sweden.
23The ITA said the results became available on Tuesday.
24A day earlier, Valieva had helped the ROC win the team event.
25The medal ceremony for the event was postponed.
26It is not known whether the ROC team will be awarded the gold medal.
27The United States placed second to the ROC in the team event, followed by Japan.
28Valieva is one of the youngest Olympians ever to fail a drug test.
29Under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, she is considered a "protected person" because she is under the age of 16.
30That means her identity should be protected.
31Russian media this week were among the first to report on Valieva's failed drug test.
32Many fans and other skaters expressed anger and shock at how the young skater came to have a banned drug in her system.
33They placed blame on Valieva's trainers, doctors and Russian sports officials rather than on Valieva herself.
34German skater and Olympian Katarina Witt said the "responsible adults" involved should be banned from the sport forever.
35"What they knowingly did to her, if true... makes my athlete's heart cry...," Witt added.
36Valieva has continued to practice in Beijing in preparation for competition.
37She was seen going through her program on Thursday and Friday with her coaches as well as the other female skaters representing the ROC.
38The Russian government has expressed strong support for Valieva.
39A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin told reporters Friday,
40"We call on everyone to support her. And we say to Kamila: 'Kamila, do not hide your face, you are a Russian woman, walk proudly everywhere and most of all, compete and win against everyone."
41I'm Ashley Thompson.
1A court is holding an urgent hearing to decide if a 15-year-old Russian figure skater accused of doping has the right to compete next week at the Beijing Olympic Games. Doping is the illegal use of drugs to improve athletic performance. 2The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Friday that Kamila Valieva failed a drug test she took six weeks ago. The test results came back earlier this week from a Swedish laboratory. 3Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA temporarily banned Valieva from competition on Tuesday. After an appeal, the agency ended the ban Wednesday. 4Both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency said Friday they would fight RUSADA's decision to permit Valieva to compete. The women's individual competition opens in Beijing Tuesday. 5Valieva is a strong favorite to win the gold medal in the individual event. She already competed in Beijing in the team figure skating event and helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) take first place. She made history during the event by being the first woman to land a quadruple jump on Olympic ice. That means she jumps and turns four circles in the air before landing. 6Figure skating experts consider Valieva one of the most talented skaters ever. The young skater has broken world record marks all season long. 7The ROC said it will fight to keep the gold medal it won in the team event with Valieva's help. It also said that a drug test Valieva took while at the Olympics came back clean. All medalists get tested at the Olympics. 8Russian athletes have a long history of doping. Russia was banned from Olympic competition because of past drug violations. Russian athletes are taking part in these Olympics under the name Russian Olympic Committee. 9The International Testing Agency (ITA) said Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication called Trimetazidine, or TMZ. The test was administered on December 25 and sent to a laboratory in Sweden. The ITA said the results became available on Tuesday. A day earlier, Valieva had helped the ROC win the team event. 10The medal ceremony for the event was postponed. It is not known whether the ROC team will be awarded the gold medal. The United States placed second to the ROC in the team event, followed by Japan. 11Valieva is one of the youngest Olympians ever to fail a drug test. Under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, she is considered a "protected person" because she is under the age of 16. That means her identity should be protected. Russian media this week were among the first to report on Valieva's failed drug test. 12Many fans and other skaters expressed anger and shock at how the young skater came to have a banned drug in her system. They placed blame on Valieva's trainers, doctors and Russian sports officials rather than on Valieva herself. 13German skater and Olympian Katarina Witt said the "responsible adults" involved should be banned from the sport forever. "What they knowingly did to her, if true... makes my athlete's heart cry...," Witt added. 14Valieva has continued to practice in Beijing in preparation for competition. She was seen going through her program on Thursday and Friday with her coaches as well as the other female skaters representing the ROC. 15The Russian government has expressed strong support for Valieva. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin told reporters Friday, "We call on everyone to support her. And we say to Kamila: 'Kamila, do not hide your face, you are a Russian woman, walk proudly everywhere and most of all, compete and win against everyone." 16I'm Ashley Thompson. 17The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson and Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20athletic - adj. of or relating to sports, games, or exercises 21talented - adj. having a special ability to do something well 22practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it 23proudly - adv. very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc. : feeling pride