WADA to lodge appeal in case of Russian Olympic Committee figure skater

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wishes to confirm that it intends to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in relation to the anti-doping case involving a Russian Olympic Committee figure skater who tested positive for a prohibited substance at an event prior to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
 
The athlete’s sample was collected in competition by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on 25 December 2021 and transported to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden, for analysis. On 7 February, the laboratory reported that the sample had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for the non-specified prohibited substance, trimetazidine. Accordingly, the athlete was notified by RUSADA on 8 February and provisionally suspended, effective immediately.
 
Following a hearing on 9 February, the RUSADA Disciplinary Committee decided to lift the athlete’s provisional suspension, allowing her to resume participation in the Games.
 
Under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), WADA has a right to appeal the decision to lift the provisional suspension before CAS and intends to do so on the grounds that the Code has not been correctly applied in this case.