Olympic figure skating champion Yuna Kim blasts decision to allow Kamila Valieva to compete after failed doping test
- Olympic champion Yuna Kim blasted the decision to allow Kamila Valieva to continue to compete in the Beijing Olympics.
- Valieva tested positive for banned drug Trimetazidine in December.
Olympic figure skating champion Yuna Kim said she does not agree with the decision to allow Russian Olympic Committee's Kamila Valieva to continue competing in the Beijing Olympics after failing a drug test.
"Athlete who violates doping cannot compete in the game," Kim, a Korean skater who won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics and a silver in the 2014 games, wrote in an Instagram post Monday. "This principle must be observed without exception. All players' efforts and dreams are equally precious."
Valieva, who was the first woman to land a quad jump at the Olympics, failed a December 25 drug test in which she tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine. Trimetazidine is normally used to prevent angina attacks but is taken by some athletes as a way to boost their endurance.
The Russian 15-year-old was immediately suspended following the news of a positive drug test, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the order Monday, paving the way for Valieva to compete in the women's individual figure skating event Tuesday.
It is still unclear whether Valieva will be allowed to claim her gold medal from the team event, Insider previously reported.