Fifteen-year-old Russian figure-skating phenom Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the women’s figure skating competition at the Beijing Olympics despite having tested positive for a banned substance in December.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided, however, that it will not hold a medal ceremony for any event in which Valieva places in the top three while the matter remains under investigation. Valieva tested positive for the heart drug trimetazidine on December 25 at the Russian nationals.
The results of the test were only delivered from a Swedish lab last week, after Valieva helped Russia win gold in the team figure skating event. There will not be a medal ceremony for the team event, in which Russia won gold and the U.S. won silver. If the Russian team is eventually disqualified over the positive drug test, the Americans will move up to gold, Japan will win silver and Canada will win bronze.
A panel of judges for the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva does not need to be provisionally suspended ahead of a full investigation. The decision was handed down less than 12 hours after a last-minute meeting was held.
The ruling was heavily influenced by her age, as a minor is a “protected person” under Olympic rules and therefore subject to a different set of rules from older athletes.
“The panel considered that preventing the athlete to compete at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in the circumstances,” CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said, according to the Associated Press.
The judges also took issues of fairness, Valieva’s clean test in Beijing, and the “serious issues of untimely notification” of the December test into account.
Valieva, who became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics during the team event, is the favorite for the gold medal in the women’s figure skating competition, which begins Tuesday.
The ruling from the IOC will allow Valieva to continue skating until her case is resolved. Whether she will be allowed to keep the gold medal she helped win in the team event will be decided by a longer investigation by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).
The World Anti-Doping Agency will be able to appeal the RUSADA’s ruling and has said it wants to launch its own investigation, as well.