Kamila Valieva, Ice Skater at the Center of Olympic Doping Scandal, Dropped from Russian National Team
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Valieva, now 17, still holds the world record in figure skating for the short program, free skating and total combined score
Kamila Valieva, the ice skater at the center of 2022 Winter Olympics doping scandal, has been dropped from Russian National Team, per Russia's state-owned news agency TASS, Reuters and The Moscow Times.
"Valieva is currently not on the list of the Russian national team. Everything is done in compliance with the legislative documents," Alexander Kogan, the director general of the Figure Skating Federation of Russia (FSFR), told TASS on Thursday.
No further reason for Valieva's removal was given, despite her finishing third at the recent Russian National Championships held in December.
Related: See All the Drama from Thursday's Women's Figure Skating Final in Photos
On Jan. 29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled to disqualify Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules starting on Dec. 25, 2021. The ruling invalidated all of her results from that date forward, including the 2022 Winter Olympics, which were held in February.
Valieva, 17, was the world record holder in women's figure skating for the short program, free skating and combined total heading into the Beijing Games. Just 15 years old at the time, Valieva was a heavy favorite and led Russia to gold in the team event.
After the team event and before the individual event, Valieva tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine. The drug is used to treat angina, a condition that causes severe pain in the chest. Dr. Sean Heffron, a preventative cardiologist, told PEOPLE at the time the drug could help Valieva "train at a higher intensity."
Despite protests, Valieva was allowed to compete in the individual event, and even placed first after the short program. However, she had a meltdown in the free skating and finished just off the podium in fourth.
Because all of her results from Dec. 25, 2021 were invalidated, Team USA moved up from second place in the 2022 Olympic team event to first place. The nine U.S. skaters -- Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou -- will received their gold medals more than two years after competing in the Games.
Meanwhile, Valieva's removal will have no upcoming impact on the upcoming 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal. Russia and Belarus have been indefinitely banned from international skating competitions since March 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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