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Russia Finds ‘No Fault’ for Kamila Valieva in Doping Case, But WADA Is Likely to Appeal

Russian officials announced Friday they have largely chosen not to discipline Kamila Valieva, the 16-year-old figure skater whose doping case overshadowed the competition at the Beijing Olympics a year ago. They explained she had indeed committed a violation but “bore no fault or negligence” for it, so they disqualified her results from the day of the sample collection—her final event of the 2022 Russian Championships—but otherwise imposed no sanction.

The decision, if upheld, would allow the Russian Olympic Committee to keep its gold medal in the Olympic team competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in a statement that it is “concerned by the finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ and will not hesitate to exercise its right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as appropriate.