Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skating phenomenon, has tested positive for a banned substance, Russian media is reporting.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed yesterday, February 9, that the medal ceremony for the team figure skating event would not take place as scheduled following a positive drugs test returned by a member of the winning ROC team.
The IOC has refused to comment on the identity of the skater, however media reports in her home country claim that an anti-doping sample given by Valieva ahead of the Beijing games subsequently tested positive for a banned substance.
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The 15-year-old, who earlier this week became the first women ever to land a quadruple salchow at the Olympics, practised as normal today, Thursday 10, but did not answer questions from journalists.
An IOC spokesperson told Reuters that the medal ceremony had been postponed 'indefinitely' pending 'legal consultations' between the committee and the International Skating Union.
'Everyone is doing absolutely everything [so] that the situation can be resolved as soon as possible,' the spokesperson said, adding 'as you know, legal issues can sometimes drag on.'
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TIME reports that the sample, which tested positive for a heart medication called trimetazidine, was taken before Valieva won the European championship held in Estonia last month.
Trimetazidine is typically used to treat angina and vertigo, but is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because of its effect on endurance and blood flow efficiency.
Athletes may apply for exemptions to use banned substances to treat medical conditions, though it's not clear whether Valieva had previously obtained permission to use trimetazidine.
The positive test throws not only the ROC's team gold into doubt, but also Valieva's participation in the women's singles event, for which she is the runaway favourite to take gold. The event begins next Tuesday, February 15.
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If the ROC team were to be disqualified from the results, the United States would be promoted to win their first-ever team figure skating gold, with Japan taking silver and defending champions Canada bronze.
Russia is currently serving a two-year ban from the Olympics handed down in 2020, four years after a whistleblower exposed a widespread state-sponsored doping scheme in the country.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Russian athletes not tied to the doping program could participate, but would not be allowed to compete under the Russian name, flag or national anthem.
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Hannah Smith