Young Russian Athlete Kamila Valieva Involved In Doping Test, Vladimir Putin Puts On Body: No Such Substance Needed In Figure Skating

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. (Photo: Instagram @kamilavalieva26)

JAKARTA - Russian figure skating athlete Kamila Valieva is in the middle of a doping scandal. The 16-year-old failed to pass a doping test while testing the Russian national championship in December last year.

However, the test results were only revealed to the public on February 8, 2022, exactly a day after he helped the Russian contingent in the team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, installed the body for Kamila. He said any banned substance would not help the athlete's performance.

Putin considered that what Kamila had achieved came from her hard work.

"Through his hard work, he has brought this sport into a true art," said Putin.

"Such perfection will not be achieved through lies, the help of illegal substances, or manipulation. We all know that such substances are not needed in figure skating," he said again, citing Antara from Reuters.

The doping case of Valieva, who was 15 at the time she appeared in Beijing, has sparked debate over whether there is a need for age restrictions in figure skating competitions to protect children and young people.

Meanwhile, the case also covered a black veil in Russia's participation in the Olympics. The reason is that the Red Bear Country contingent has been entangled in doping scandals and has been severely punished.

The sanctions were in the form of a ban on flying the flag or playing the national anthem there while carrying the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) as the official name of the contingent.