CAS fixes the hearing dates in the arbitration proceedings involving RUSADA, ISU, WADA and Kamila Valieva

MEDIA RELEASE

FIGURE SKATING

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) FIXES THE HEARING DATES IN THE ARBITRATION PROCEEDINGS INVOLVING THE RUSSIAN ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (RUSADA), THE INTERNATIONAL SKATING UNION (ISU), THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (WADA) AND KAMILA VALIEVA

Lausanne - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Panel in charge of the arbitration proceedings between the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), the International Skating Union (ISU), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will hold a hearing with the parties and their representatives on 26, 27, 28 and 29 September 2023.

The hearing will be held in person at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, although the Panel may hear some parties, witnesses and experts via video-conference.

Only the parties to the proceedings will participate in the hearing which will not be open to the public.

Following the hearing, the CAS Panel will deliberate and prepare the Arbitral Award containing its decision. At this juncture, it is not possible to indicate when the final decision will be announced. The CAS Panel’s decision will be final and binding, with the exception of the parties’ right to file an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal within 30 days on limited procedural grounds.

The hearing concerns the appeals filed individually by RUSADA, the ISU, and WADA against the decision issued by the RUSADA Disciplinary Anti-Doping Commission (RUSADA DADC) dated 14 December 2022 (the Challenged Decision), in which the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva (the Athlete) was found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for which she bore “no fault or negligence” and was not sanctioned with the exception of the disqualification of the results achieved on the date of the sample collection (25 December 2021).

RUSADA seeks a ruling from CAS setting aside the Challenged Decision and finding the Athlete to have committed an ADRV under the RUSADA Anti-Doping Rules (RUSADA ADR), and sanctioned with “the appropriate consequences (which may include or be limited to a reprimand) in respect of such ADRV pursuant to the RUSADA ADR”.

The ISU seeks a ruling from CAS sanctioning the Athlete with a four-year period of ineligibility starting from 25 December 2021 and disqualification of all results achieved by the Athlete during this period.

WADA seeks a ruling from CAS setting aside the Challenged Decision and finding the Athlete to have committed an ADRV under art. 4.1 and/or 4.2 of the RUSADA ADR, and sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of four years, as well as the disqualification of all competitive results obtained by the Athlete from and including 25 December 2021.

In accordance with the Code of Sports-related Arbitration (the CAS Code), the arbitration rules governing CAS procedures, the three appeals were consolidated and a common timetable was established for the filing of the parties’ written submissions. The exchange of written submissions is still ongoing, following the extensions of time fixed with the mutual agreement of the parties, but will be concluded on time prior to the CAS hearing.

Monday, 26 June 2023