Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has once again been denied the opportunity to compete internationally after her status as a neutral athlete was revoked following a second round of assessments. The International Skating Union announced on Thursday that Valieva, along with three other Russian skaters who participated in the 2022 Olympics, did not meet the criteria to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.
The other affected athletes are men’s skater Mark Kondratiuk and the ice dance duo of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. The specific reasons for the disqualification were not disclosed by the ISU, which stated that it would refrain from providing further comments on individual cases until all appeal options are exhausted.
This setback in Valieva’s career comes over four years after controversies surrounding her positive doping test cast a shadow over the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Valieva and the other skaters have the opportunity to appeal within three weeks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, although there has been no immediate response from Valieva or the Russian figure skating federation.
In a broader context, the ISU has permitted more Russian athletes to participate as neutral competitors this season, relaxing restrictions that were imposed following the Ukraine invasion. The ISU now presumes Russian skaters as eligible unless they meet certain disqualifying criteria. Notably, skaters like Valieva have experienced temporary eligibility after seeking neutral status, only to have it revoked shortly afterward.
The ISU had initially banned skaters from Russia and Belarus in 2022 but later allowed a limited number to compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics and a qualifying event last season. At the Olympics, two Russian figure skaters, Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, participated as neutrals without national affiliations, although they did not secure any medals.
Furthermore, the ISU regulations stipulate that skaters may be denied neutral status if they are involved with military or security forces, previously engaged in military actions against Ukraine, or have openly supported the conflict since 2022.
In a separate development, Valieva is pursuing legal recourse regarding the handling of her doping suspension, which concluded late last year. The European Court of Human Rights revealed that Valieva filed a claim against Switzerland over a Swiss supreme court ruling against her in her attempt to overturn the ban. Allegations in the claim suggest that the Swiss court violated Valieva’s rights by dismissing purported new evidence in her favor, including an Associated Press article from September 2024 that accused the World Anti-Doping Agency of withholding evidence.