Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva unable to compete after neutral status revoked
· Yahoo Sports
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva is no longer eligible to compete in international events after her neutral athlete status was revoked, according to AP.
Visit extonnews.click for more information.
The latest twist in Valieva’s career comes more than four years after disputes about her positive doping test overshadowed the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She returned from a lengthy ban in December 2025 and has since competed in events in Russia.
A source told AP that Valieva was initially granted neutral status under a new International Skating Union rule for this season which states that skaters from Russia and Belarus are “presumed eligible unless they fall within the disqualifying criteria.”
That status was then withdrawn from Valieva over concerns about a potential breach of criteria preventing skaters from being granted neutral status if they have previously supported Russia's war in Ukraine.
The status has also been withdrawn from Russian men’s skater Mark Kondratiuk, who was a teammate of Valieva at the 2022 Olympics.
The ISU is due to rule on appeals by both athletes by the middle of next week and if the decision remains unchanged, the athletes would be able to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The revocation of Valieva’s status was first reported by Russian news media. Valieva has not commented on her status.
The ISU had barred skaters from Russia and its ally Belarus in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It allowed a limited number to return for the Milan Cortina Olympics and a qualifying event last season, before changing the rules for this season to allow them to compete by default. Two Russian figure skaters, Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, competed at the Olympics but neither won a medal.
The ISU rules say skaters may be refused if they are serving with military or security forces, have previously participated in military operations against Ukraine or have “actively and publicly supported that war” since 2022.
Then aged 15, Valieva was at the centre of a legal battle during the 2022 Beijing Games when a sample she gave two months earlier tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
The revelation came after Valieva won team gold with other Russian skaters. She was later disqualified from that event, which upgraded the United States to gold.
AP