A verdict in Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping case will be delivered in January 2024, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
Details of the failed drugs test emerged after then 15-year-old Valieva won team gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is appealing at sport’s highest court against the findings of a Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) investigation, which found Valieva bore “no fault or negligence” for the failed test.
Wada, along with the the International Skating Union (ISU), said earlier this year it was “concerned” by the decision to clear Valieva and is appealing for a four-year ban, as well as for all her results from the date of the sample collection on 25 December 2021 to be expunged.
The hearing was adjourned in September after the panel requested “further documentation” and resumed on Thursday.
A Cas statement said the hearing concluded on Friday with the “final pleadings of the parties”.
“The parties have been informed that the panel in charge of the matter will now deliberate and prepare the arbitral award containing its decision, which is expected to be notified by the end of January 2024,” the statement read.
Valieva tested positive for banned heart medication trimetazidine in December 2021.
Details of the result only surfaced after she had won gold in the team event at the Beijing Games two months later, during which she became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at a Winter Olympics.
She was allowed to compete in the women’s singles event when a court lifted her provisional ban but left the arena in tears after a number of falls and stumbles meant she slipped from first to fourth place.
Medals are yet to be awarded for the team event, where the United States came second, with Japan finishing third and Canada placing fourth.
The ISU has also asked Cas to determine the final result of the event.
