WADA appeals case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to Court of Arbitration for Sport

    Valieva competes in the singles event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

    (CNN)The protracted doping saga involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva entered another phase on Tuesday as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

    Last month, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) effectively cleared Valieva of wrongdoing, saying that the 16-year-old had violated anti-doping rules but bore no "fault or negligence" for the transgression.
    But WADA believes such a conclusion is "wrong" and has now exercised its right to appeal the ruling.
      Valieva was suspended by RUSADA the day after she guided the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to victory in the figure skating team event at last year's Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she also became the first woman in history to land a quadruple jump at the Games.
        However, it came to light during the course of the Olympics that Valieva had tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine -- which can enhance endurance -- in December 2021.
        Valieva has not publicly explained the positive test results.
        The ROC placed first in the team event in Beijing ahead of the USA in second, Japan in third and Canada in fourth, but no medal ceremony was held as a result of the doping controversy.