Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will testify via video in doping case hearing

• Kamila Valieva, 15, will testify at an appeal hearing on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
• The hearing will decide if Valieva can still compete at the Winter Olympics amid doping allegations.

The 15-year-old Russian figure skater at the center of a doping scandal will testify at an appeal hearing on Sunday.

According to The Associated Press, Kamila Valieva will testify via video in a hearing that will determine if she can still compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics amid an ongoing doping case.

"The athlete will be online and she will testify," Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Director General Matthieu Reeb told the outlet. "We suppose she will speak in Russian, and we have an interpreter."

Reeb told AP that Valieva is expected to testify before a panel during the hearing, which was scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 p.m Beijing time (7:30 a.m. ET) and expected to continue long into the night.

AP reported that three CAS judges would hear arguments in a closed-door session at a Beijing hotel. Lawyers and officials for the involved parties are reportedly tuning in to the case from Switzerland and Beijing. Witnesses and experts will also be present.

The appeal hearing comes after the International Olympic Committee, World Anti-Doping Agency, and International Skating Union challenged a decision made by the Russian anti-doping agency to lift an interim ban so Valieva could compete in her main event.

Last Monday, Valieva became the first woman to successfully land a quadruple jump at the Olympics after nailing the trick twice during the free skate event. Valieva's efforts helped Russia win the gold medal in the team figure-skating competition. Team USA won silver and Japan took home the bronze.

But by Wednesday, a number of publications reported that a member of the Russian Olympic Committee's figure-skating team tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a medication used to prevent angina attacks. Athletes have used the substance as a way to improve their endurance, and the World Anti-Doping Agency has listed trimetazidine as a "metabolic modulator."

The International Testing Authority later confirmed in a statement that Valieva had tested positive for the substance in a December 25 sample, but the results weren't revealed until Tuesday. Valieva was suspended, but the Russian Anti-Doping Agency reversed the suspension. On Friday the International Olympic Committee appealed the decision.

Valieva has not been barred from competing in the upcoming women's individual event. The decision is expected to be announced on Monday afternoon in Beijing, and it's unclear whether she will face consequences, AP reported.

The medal ceremony for the team figure skating competition had been scheduled for Tuesday but was canceled amid the scandal.

Since the news broke, some of Valieva's supporters have spoken out about the situation.

Former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon said he doubts that Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva "knowingly doped" ahead of the Beijing Games.

—Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) February 11, 2022

In a Twitter thread, Rippon said he believed the adults around Valieva "put her in this awful situation and should be punished."

"The IOC's ban on Russia's participation in the Olympics was NOT strict enough. I believe that the ROC athletes are doing what they're told in an effort to please their coaches and federation. I blame those in charge. Flops," Rippon tweeted.