Russian figure skater Kamilla Valieva has offered a unique explanation for how a banned substance found its way into her body, attributing it to a dessert made by her grandfather.
According to a statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Valieva claimed the substance entered her system through a strawberry dessert prepared on the same cutting board her grandfather used to crush his medication.
The document detailed, "The prohibited substance entered her (Kamilla Valieva's) body through the consumption of a strawberry dessert prepared by her grandfather on the cutting board on which he crushed his medicines."
This explanation came to light during the court's decision-making process regarding Valieva's disqualification. The court ultimately decided to disqualify Valieva as she was unable to prove the ingestion of the banned substance was accidental.
The case has drawn attention not only for the disqualification of the athlete but also for the nature of the defense presented.
Valieva's legal team, from the Parisian law firm Pinna Legal, is reportedly considering filing an appeal against the disqualification decision to the Supreme Court of Switzerland. The doping test that led to Valieva's disqualification revealed not only trimetazidine but also traces of a certain anabolic steroid.
Contador and the 'Beef'
Kamilla Valieva's explanation recalls a notable incident from 2010, when Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador faced the challenge of explaining how doping entered his system.
Alberto Contador, the renowned Spanish cyclist, offered a peculiar explanation for his positive doping test, attributing it to consuming contaminated beef. According to Contador, the clenbuterol found in his system during the 2010 Tour de France came from a steak he ate, suggesting the meat was the source of the banned substance. This unusual defense sparked debates and scrutiny in the sports world, highlighting the complexities of doping cases and the challenges in pinpointing contamination sources.
