ISU revokes Russian skater Valieva’s neutral status

Open this photo in gallery:Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts in the women's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.David J. Phillip/The Associated PressRussian figure skater Kamila Valieva will be unable to compete internationally after the International Skating Union (ISU) revoked her neutral athlete status, the sport’s governing body confirmed on Thursday.Valieva was 15 when she became the centre of a global controversy at the 2022 Olympics after a sample collected two months earlier tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine.The failed test emerged after she helped Russia to win team gold, a result from which she was later disqualified, elevating the United States to the top of the podium.Valieva, 20, returned to competition in February at the Russian Jumping Championships after completing a four-year doping ban, but remained ineligible for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.News of the ISU decision first emerged on Saturday when a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Valieva had received a letter from the ruling body.Russian men’s skater Mark Kondratiuk, a teammate of Valieva’s at the 2022 Winter Olympics, also had his neutral status revoked, as did ice dancers Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin.Russian state news agency TASS quoted sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev as saying that all the skaters affected by the ruling would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).“The Russian Figure Skating Federation and our skaters, who have been unfairly deprived of the right to compete in the ISU’s international competitions, will soon file a claim with the CAS against the ISU,” Degtyarev, who is also the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, told TASS.“Our athletes and federations will receive legal support, including the provision of qualified lawyers.”The Russian Figure Skating Federation said in a statement that it was using all available avenues to resolve the situation.Russian athletes have been barred from competing under their national flag since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.The ISU subsequently established a pathway for selected competitors from Russia and Belarus to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes, subject to a rigorous vetting process.Under the ISU’s neutrality criteria, athletes can be denied neutral status if they are deemed to be serving in the Russian or Belarusian military or security services, have taken part in military operations against Ukraine since February 2022, or have publicly expressed support for the war.“Each determination is subject to the applicable appeal rights under the ISU Constitution and Regulations,” the governing body said in a statement.The ISU did not specify which criteria Valieva had failed to meet.There was no immediate comment from Valieva.The governing body added that 234 individuals affiliated with member federations in Russia and Belarus had submitted neutrality declarations for potential participation in ISU events and international competitions during the 2026-27 season.