Valieva, who turned 16 on Tuesday, failed a doping test at the Russian national championships last December but the result was only revealed on Feb. 8, a day after she had already helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win the team event at the Beijing Games. The case cast a shadow on Russians' participation at the Games as they already faced increased scrutiny over separate doping sanctions that saw them compete without their flag and national anthem.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva, who was at the center of a doping scandal at the Beijing Winter Olympics.